Failure not an option for Real Madrid – Mourinho

Real Madrid head coach Jose Mourinho knows that failure in the UEFA Champions League semi-final is not an option.

Madrid will face Borussia Dortmund in their third successive semi-final but they have not reached the final since 2002, something Mourinho is keen to change.

“Madrid are one of those clubs where finishing second counts for nothing,” he told reporters.

“So we have to reach the final and then win that.”

It will be the third time the two sides have met in the competition this season, having clashed in the group stages, and Mourinho’s men are yet to taste victory over their German opponents.

Dortmund scored four goals in the two group games and the Madrid boss is keen to iron out the errors that cost his side four points in those matches with a strong showing in both legs of the semi-final.

“All four goals we conceded against Dortmund were mistakes by us,” he added.

“We hope we will not concede that many goals in the next games.

“I hope that my team, which I value tremendously as individual players as well as a team, will be able to convince tomorrow and in the return leg.

“The team has great players who give everything they have and also deserve to win this competition.

“With a few exceptions, none of them have won this competition so far and I wish it for my team that they can win the Champions League, as they deserve to do so.”

The line-up for this season’s last four sees the top two teams in Spain and Germany go head to head and, with such strong clubs in the latter stages of the competition, Mourinho knows that becoming champions of Europe for the 10th time will be a tough ask for his side.

“In the semis there are four of the six teams almost everybody was expecting,” he continued. “Sometimes there are surprise teams, but not this time.

“It could have been [Manchester] United or Juventus, but no other team. It is difficult to predict who will play in the final.”