Mourinho: City favourites for top four, not United

Manchester City are favourites to beat Manchester
United to a top-four spot in the Premier League due
to their absence from Europe, claims Jose
Mourinho.
Champions League hopefuls City and United will
clash in the Manchester derby at the Etihad
Stadium on Thursday in another instalment of Pep
Guardiola versus Mourinho.
City - fourth in the table - are only a point ahead of
United, who are also juggling Europa League
commitments ahead of a semi-final tie against
Celta Vigo.
And Mourinho heaped pressure on rival Guardiola -
who went to Old Trafford and won the reverse
game in September - amid United's congested
fixture list.
"They play now one game a week until the end of
the season while we have the [Europa League]
semi-finals which are very important for us,"
Mourinho said.
"Obviously to play one match per week brings
teams and players to other levels, so it's more
difficult for us but we are going to try."
Mourinho continued: "It doesn't matter what
happens in terms of titles we win or don't win.
"I always feel that the season is very important for
me, the players and the club.
"I would say this can be the first season of the next
five or six or seven. It can be the first season of
better years.
"And the reality is even in the first season of better
years we won already [the Community Shield and
EFL Cup], and if we manage to win the Europa
League and in August to play the European Super
Cup against the Champions League winner, it will
be magnificent."