Marouane Fellaini is a doubt to feature for Manchester United when they open their Champions League campaign against Basel at Old Trafford on Tuesday.

United are returning to Europe's elite club competition after a one-year absence, having won the Europa League last season.

"Being back in the Champions League is going back to the natural habitat," Mourinho told his pre-match press conference ahead of their group stage fixture.
For some players there's the motivation of playing in it for the first time so we look forward to the match and I hope also Old Trafford feels it in the same way we are feeling
We have to try to qualify and we have to try to go to the last 16 and enjoy that special knock-out phase with the best teams in Europe."

Belgium international Fellaini suffered a calf problem on international duty and missed the 2-2 draw at Stoke on Saturday but returned to training on Monday.

Jose Mourinho said: "He is a very important player for me, much more important than you can imagine.

"I feel weaker without Fellaini in my squad, it doesn't matter if it's on the pitch or if it's on the bench. So if his condition improves then he will be selected, because I need him."

Phil Jones and Eric Bailly - Mourinho's first-choice defensive duo this season - are suspended for Basel's visit, with the United boss set to turn to Chris Smalling and summer signing Victor Lindelof.

"Even if Bailly and Jones were not suspended, probably I would still play Lindelof and Smalling," Mourinho added. "They are at the same level, they are just different players."
Team news

Mourinho will give Fellaini the chance to prove he has recovered from a calf injury, while Bailly and Jones serve the final match of their European suspensions.

They will be replaced by Lindelof and Smalling, while Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Marcos Rojo remain absent through knee injuries. The latter trained on the eve of the game along with Ashley Young and Luke Shaw.

David de Gea will retain his place in goal over Sergio Romero, who was United's starting goalkeeper during their successful Europa League campaign last season.

Opta stats

This will be the fifth game between Manchester United and Basel, all in the Champions League. For now, the record is perfectly balanced with one win each and two draws.

Basel are unbeaten against United at Old Trafford, having drawn their two trips to north-west England (1-1 in March 2003, 3-3 in September 2011
This is United's 21st Champions League participation, the most for an English side and the fourth-most after Real Madrid, Barcelona and Porto (22).

Only Liverpool (5) have won more European Cup/Champions League titles than Manchester Utd (3) among English clubs.

United have reached the knockout stages in 16 of their previous 20 Champions League appearances; however they haven't made it past the group stages since 2013/14.

Basel are making their eighth Champions League appearance, that's six more than any other Swiss club (Grasshopper, 2).

Basel have never progressed further than the Last 16 in the Champions League (2011/12, 2014/15).

Basel are winless in their last 10 Champions League games (D4 L6), their longest drought in the competition. They've also never scored more than one goal in those 10 games.





Jose Mourinho says he was not surprised to see Crystal Palace sack Frank de Boer after only four games




Jose Mourinho says he was not surprised to see Crystal Palace sack Frank de Boer after only four games

Paul Pogba has only scored two goals in 32 Champions League games.

Mourinho is one of five managers to have won the European Cup/Champions League with two different clubs, alongside Ernst Happel, Ottmar Hitzfeld, Jupp Heynckes and Carlo Ancelotti.

Mourinho is taking part in the Champions League with a fifth different club after Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid. Only Carlo Ancelotti (7), Rafael Benitez and Claudio Ranieri (6) have taken charge of more clubs in the competition.

This is Raphael Wicky's first Champions League campaign as manager. As a player, he featured in four games with Hamburg in 2006/07, losing all of t
prediction

Basel always seem to have troubled English sides, United included, but they're not the same threat as they have been, winning just one of their last four games.

United's defence was a bit of a mess against Stoke and Jose Mourinho looks like he wants to fight the world, except for Mark Hughes that is!
Assuming that defensive display was a one-off, I think United are Britain's best hope of winning the competition with the balance they have in their side.

I think they'll make a few changes and I'd like to see both Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford both in the side to really give them electric pace