Mourinho raised the stakes ahead of their August 19 Premiership clash when he said the big-spending Benitez was under pressure to deliver Liverpool's first league title in 17 years.

But Benitez preferred to focus on Friday's Asia Trophy final against Portsmouth, offering a temporary respite in the long-running feud.

"It's an important match for us, it's a final and we want to win the trophy," he said.

"This season we don't know what will happen but we will keep working and prepare for the Premier League."

Benitez has bagged record signing Fernando Torres in a summer shopping spree also including Ryan Babel, Andriy Voronin and Yossi Benayoun.

The 18-time champions have not won the domestic league since 1990 and have failed to mount a serious challenge since the Spanish coach arrived in 2004.

"I think winning nothing last season was frustrating for them, but they've got a good squad and good players, so they'll be better," Mourinho, from Portugal, said this week.

"You could say the pressure is a bit higher on Liverpool because, at this moment, they cannot point at other people."

The Iberian rivals have clashed on several occasions, notably over Liverpool's controversial 2005 Champions League semifinals win over Chelsea.