Jose Mourinho has slammed UEFA for scheduling their match against Zorya Luhansk in December. The Chornomorets stadium pitch is frozen and the temperature is expected to dip to -7°C in the night at the time of playing.
A pitch inspection will occur at 10 am local time but Zorya officials are confident that the match will go ahead as planned. The club authority has covered the entire pitch with heaters to keep the ground soft and hot. United players trained on a small section of the pitch and some of them claimed that the pitch was hard like a rock.
United only need a draw to secure their place in the next round but haven’t won an away match so far. Mourinho sounded very frustrated, “The pitch is very hard, it is icy.
“I think UEFA knows the conditions of the pitch. Everybody knows that in mid-December, the conditions in Ukraine and Eastern Europe are more difficult.
“If they are concerned, they should not allow the last fixture to be played here in December. The fifth fixture is in late November and they should not play here in December.
“Our flight here was good, the hotel is good, the stadium is good, but the pitch is bad. It is very cold and I know it is very difficult to have a better pitch. The people are trying to make it better and put heat on it, but they cannot do miracles, so let us hope that all goes well.”
