Jose Mourinho has a piece of advice for Gus Poyet before the League Cup quarter-final at the Stadium of Light tonight.

“Gus is trying to avoid relegation so he has to play the kids from the academy and keep the guys fresh for the next weekend,” said Chelsea’s manager.

Quite apart from not being a big fan of rotation his Sunderland counterpart is too intent on trying to imbue his struggling players with a winning habit for Mourinho’s suggestion to stand much chance of being taken seriously.

“I don’t try to look too far ahead,” Poyet said.

“If I start thinking about Norwich [at home on Saturday in the Premier League], it gets difficult to make decisions. But if we want to get out of the relegation zone, then we have to win matches, become winners. We want to win the cup game for that reason. Let’s hope we can beat Chelsea, then we will be very confident for Norwich.”

For Mourinho the League Cup offers the prospect of silverware in a transitional season.

“When you are in the quarter-final, you smell the final. It’s not very far. We are going to try.”

Poyet does not doubt him. "If we give them chances, they will score," he said. "I don't think it will be a weak Chelsea. I am expecting a very strong one."
Guardian Service