Jose Mourinho dropped one of his coldest-ever responses after discovering Fenerbahce’s next Champions League opponents

Jose Mourinho gave one of his coldest responses ever when talking about Fenerbahce’s next Champions League opponents.

Following his departure from AS Roma in January, Mourinho returned to management earlier this summer when he took charge of Turkish giants Fenerbahce.

The 61-year-old has a sparkling managerial CV including spells at Chelsea, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Inter Milan.

Having managed so many elite clubs, Mourinho has rarely experienced European qualifiers.

He’s had to adapt to his new surroundings in Istanbul though, as he looks to guide Fenerbahce through the Champions League qualifiers and into the group/league stage of the competition for the first time since 2008-09.

On Tuesday Fenerbahce booked their place in the third qualifying round with a 2-1 win against Lugano in Istanbul. Mourinho’s side won a dramatic first leg 4-3 in Switzerland last week, leaving them with a job to finish at home.

The 6-4 aggregate victory saw Fenerbahce advance to the next round where they will face French side Lille, who did not take part in the second qualifying round.

After the game, Mourinho was in typically bullish mood. When it was put to him by a reporter that Turkish teams tend to struggle against the stronger sides in Europe, the ‘Special One’ backed his players.

Jose Mourinho has guided Fenerbahce into the next round. [Getty]

“Lille had an unlucky draw. They will play with us,” he shot back.

“I understand that Turkish teams have difficulties against strong teams in Europe. Turkish teams should have a chance in the draw. However, it was not a good draw for Lille because Fenerbahce will not be easy for them.”

He continued: “Tomorrow [Wednesday], after a few hours of sunbathing by the pool, I will start training for Lille with my wonderful team.”

Fenerbahce will travel to France for the first leg of the tie on Tuesday, before welcoming Lille to the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium a week later.

The winner will advance to the two-legged play-off round, where a place in the league phase of the newly expanded Champions League will be up for grabs.