Football
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Jose Mourinho warns Chelsea need more points in Champions League

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has warned that any Champions League slip-up could be fatal to his unbeaten team.

Chelsea sit top of the Premier League after 12 games and are undefeated so far this season in all competitions. They face Schalke on Tuesday in a Champions League Group G clash and Mourinho has insisted that dropping down to the Europa League is not an option for his side.

"The reality is we need points," Mourinho said. "I think this team is in one state of its evolution where to go into the Europa League would be very bad. A team gets better and the evolution is faster when you play in the best competition against the best teams.

"Maybe we drop into Europa league. If we lose two matches we go into the Europa League. It makes no sense to talk about quarterfinals or anything else.

"We need points to play in the Champions League and that is why we are here, we are here to get points."

Mourinho derided a tournament such as the Europa League when it was won by his predecessor at Chelsea, Rafael Benitez, and it is clear he does not want to be leading his team into Europe's second-tier competition.

With a calendar bustling with fixtures heading into December and the new year, Mourinho wants qualification sewn up at the earliest opportunity.

"We have two matches, but obviously it would be better for us to qualify tomorrow," he added. "We have so many matches in December that if we can avoid a crucial match against Sporting [Lisbon] to decide Champions League qualification and that pressure, it would be very good for us.

"The players are playing very well, the team is playing really well. Nothing comes for free, or with luck. Even the draws we've had were matches we were closer to win than to lose."

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