MANCHESTER -- Jose Mourinho says Manchester United have been "punished" by the Premier League festive fixture list.
United face five games in 14 days over Christmas and new year, starting with the trip to Leicester City on Saturday and means the team will only have six rest days between Dec. 23 and Jan. 1.
Manchester City and Liverpool have seven while Chelsea have eight. Arsenal and Tottenham both have nine. Mourinho admits he is worried about the packed schedule, especially with Antonio Valencia, Marouane Fellaini, Eric Bailly and Michael Carrick all missing through injury.
He told a news conference on Friday: "We are not the only ones.
"There are other teams in the same situation as we are and Leicester is one of them in the same situation as we are.
"We did the simple objective study on that and there is a big gap, a really big gap between some clubs and other clubs.
"There are clearly the ones that are really privileged and there are clearly another group of the ones that are really punished by the decisions of the calendar and there are another group in the middle of it, where I would like to be.
"I know I would never be in the top group but in the middle group, we would like to be."
Mourinho said the club will not complain to the Premier League about the inconsistencies and refused to answer when asked whether he thought it was deliberate.
"It's a good question. You want me to be punished, right?" he said.
Despite a hectic run, United will hope to start chipping away at Manchester City's lead over Christmas after Pep Guardiola's side opened up an 11-point gap at the top.
United won nine straight games between Dec. 8 and Jan. 10 last season -- their best run of the campaign -- while City lost four times in December and January.
It would take something similar to breathe new life into this season's title race that already looks like it's City's to lose, but Mourinho is refusing to give up hope.
He said: "We are in the race that only ends for us in May when we play against Watford at Old Trafford.
"When we play against Watford at Old Trafford, we finish the game and then it's finished.
"Then do we have FA Cup final to play? We have one more if so. Do we have a Champions League final to play, if we do, we have one more game.
"If we don't, it's finished but until last match of the season we have work to do.
"We have how many points? 41?
"So on Saturday we have 41, 42 or 44. And if we have 41, 42 or 44, we have always the feeling that we could have more points than we have.
"But we have also the feeling that we could have less points than we have, so that's just football. Match after match."
Mourinho has also confirmed Zlatan Ibrahimovic is ready to start a game in the Premier League for the first time since April after playing 69 minutes against Bristol City on Wednesday.
The Swede, who has returned from knee ligament surgery scored his first goal since April 9 in the defeat at Ashton Gate.
Mourinho said: "He is an option.
"He played one hour, a bit more. Could be obviously ready to start the match. Ninety minutes is probably too much, it depends on the match, but I think yes, I think he is ready to start."