"The Russian team will feel an enormous pressure... the whole world is watching them. They have an excellent chance to defeat Saudi Arabia, who are a team from a different reality in spite of having several talented players. Russia must win," Mourinho told journalists.

Russia will host its first-ever FIFA World Cup from June 14 to July 15, with the games set to be held in a total of 11 cities. The tournament will kick off at Moscow's 81,000-seater Luzhniki Stadium on Thursday, with the host nation facing Saudi Arabia.