Jose plays down chances

"If you push me to give a favourite then I think Liverpool should be favourite," Mourinho said ahead of Wednesday's first leg at Stamford Bridge.

He lamented his side's lack of rest in pursuit of three more trophies and injuries to midfielder Michael Ballack, winger Arjen Robben and defender Ricardo Carvalho.

Carvalho trained with his team-mates on Tuesday and looked to be moving easily but Mourinho said he doubted his Portuguese compatriot, suffering from a hamstring problem, would be fit.

Chelsea will also be missing the midfield power of Michael Essien who is suspended and his team mates will be mindful of the need for restraint with five others, including top scorer Didier Drogba one yellow card away from suspension for the second leg at Anfield.

"We have a lot of players with two yellow cards. It would not surprise me if they chased Drogba for 90 minutes to see if he can get a yellow card," Mourinho said.

Liverpool, who went 3-0 up in the first leg of their quarter-final against PSV Eindhoven had been able to "clean" their cards, Mourinho said, noting that striker Dirk Kuyt had been booked and had missed the dead second leg.

But fatigue at the sharp end of a long season in which they were seeking an historic quadruple of trophies would play a crucial role the Chelsea boss said.

"There are no miracles. In football it's not just legs it's the mind. You have to have a high level of concentration," Mourinho said.

Chelsea and Manchester United - going for a treble - had shown that sort of exhaustion with colourless Premier league draws at the weekend. United meet Milan in the first semi-final later on Tuesday.

Liverpool, out of the FA Cup and out of the running for Premier League honours, had enjoyed breaks between games and time to recuperate, Mourinho said.

"Liverpool rest players. Steven Gerrard did not play the last game. Do you think Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard are in the same condition to play against each other? I do not think it will be a fair fight," he added.