UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Season

[Inwestour]

Arbeloa was also a problem in Real Madrid's defeat because he was not fully experienced in managing Real Madrid, especially since the ones he managed this time were players with high egos, that could be a problem because he didn't have enough experience in managing these players. As a result, Real Madrid's game was chaotic, as each player seemed to be running without solid coordination. If Arbeloa is unable to manage the egos of Real Madrid players, I think their game will continue like this.

When Pérez entrusted Arbeloa with this position, he must have understood that he lacked experience, especially at this stage when winning was crucial to avoiding these extra games. But Alonso, on the other hand, also lacks Champions League experience, so the change wasn't that important. And Alonso had problems communicating with the players, so he had to be replaced. Real Madrid is now in danger of missing out on the Champions League if Mourinho manages to defeat the less experienced Arbeloa, but Real Madrid should demonstrate its superiority in two matches, even with a less experienced coach.

[BitcoinHunt3r]

Benfica have really put a lot of heart into it and I think that in these playoffs, ironically they have found themselves in front of them again, but this time I don't think there will be hope for Benfica who will certainly play to the death, but I don't think they are good enough to win a second time

I was also a little surprised to see the schedule for this match and it turns out that Benfica will face Real Madrid again, here Benfica has another advantage because they are playing at home and another thing we have to understand is that Benfica has a manager like José Mourinho meaning he understands how Real Madrid plays so we can't say that Real Madrid will beat Benfica. Sportsbooks also provided odds for this match and we can see the bookies are not too confident in Madrid yeah at least for 1x2 match, I'm not underestimating Real Madrid, but somehow I think this will be different because I saw the spirit and confidence from Benfica also several other advantages.

[Adams0001]

Benfica have really put a lot of heart into it and I think that in these playoffs, ironically they have found themselves in front of them again, but this time I don't think there will be hope for Benfica who will certainly play to the death, but I don't think they are good enough to win a second time

Madrid just need to improve better if they want to perform against Benfica next game because I didn't see Madrid performance is low because even there last game in the league competition if not because of the penalty that Mbappe score i don't think Madrid can get the three point home. Madrid coach need to change is analysis to make the players play different pattern this season.

with how madrid are moving Barcelona are still better then them in the league competition but anything can probably possibly and make Madrid to the league table and still do well against Benfica and qualify to the round of 16 in the Champions League, because sometimes Madrid will just choke you and win champions league and still get get the opportunity to win the league title again, Madrid still have hope to win the competition there are playing currently.

[Republikcoin.com]

I don't think so. Real Madrid's management certainly has plenty of other options for finding an experienced coach, while Jose Mourinho's reputation as a manager has dwindled after numerous failures with his previous teams. His work with Benfica was simply a display of professionalism.
And in the playoffs, it will certainly be difficult, I think, to knock Real Madrid out.

The playoffs may be different from the final match in the standings, but Real Madrid will also have to be more serious in their fight because Benfica will also be showcasing their best tactics to advance by embarrassing a big team like Real Madrid. So, this isn't about Jose Mourinho's reputation as a manager with previous teams, but rather about how Real Madrid can win and advance to the round of 16 with pride.

[Sandra_hakeem]

Manchester City has become very limited of recent. They scored two goals in the first half and then played as if they they were already in the last minutes of the game. That aside, Doku was truly exceptional with a number of 2 assist. unfortunately, injuries turned to hinder him from reaching his full potentials.
I've noticed that when he plays inside, he is more lethal than on the wing and that's just facts and he should do that more.
How Doku fed Halland with the ball had me reminiscing of when KDB served his turn, with the same quality passes. They could not easily locate Doku with the way he was everywhere in just 40 minutes. he single handedly mesmerized his opponent and when Cherki and him are paired together, the force is visible!

[len01]

I was also a little surprised to see the schedule for this match and it turns out that Benfica will face Real Madrid again, here Benfica has another advantage because they are playing at home and another thing we have to understand is that Benfica has a manager like José Mourinho meaning he understands how Real Madrid plays so we can't say that Real Madrid will beat Benfica. Sportsbooks also provided odds for this match and we can see the bookies are not too confident in Madrid yeah at least for 1x2 match, I'm not underestimating Real Madrid, but somehow I think this will be different because I saw the spirit and confidence from Benfica also several other advantages.

Don't worry, even though they're away from home, Madrid won't give up easily, even though Benfica also has a manager like Mourinho. But we must remember that Madrid will be hosting the second leg and are capable of equalizing the aggregate score. So, for now, Madrid should try not to lose. If they do lose to Benfica, at least the scoreline won't be too big.

Perhaps if a surprise comes, this match could end in a draw, and a draw would certainly be very advantageous for Madrid.

[SquallLeonhart]

Real Madrid will not lose to Benfica in two game series. I get that last game was a shocker and nobody assumed Benfica could do what they did, it was incredible that they won, a goal from Trupin to make them be in the top 24 is something seriously unimaginable at the start of the games, but it happened.

But that is the luck we are talking about and won't be repeated, how many times could Benfica get lucky enough to beat Real Madrid? That is not an easy task and we are going to see Real Madrid destroy them coming up. The problem however is that, even if Real Madrid easily defeats Benfica, that doesn't mean they will win UCL, they do not look good enough to get that title, and they need to get better if they hope to have a chance.

[Black Mbaye]

I don't think so. Real Madrid's management certainly has plenty of other options for finding an experienced coach, while Jose Mourinho's reputation as a manager has dwindled after numerous failures with his previous teams. His work with Benfica was simply a display of professionalism.
And in the playoffs, it will certainly be difficult, I think, to knock Real Madrid out.

The playoffs may be different from the final match in the standings, but Real Madrid will also have to be more serious in their fight because Benfica will also be showcasing their best tactics to advance by embarrassing a big team like Real Madrid. So, this isn't about Jose Mourinho's reputation as a manager with previous teams, but rather about how Real Madrid can win and advance to the round of 16 with pride.

Real Madrid conceding 4 goals against Benfica in their last match was a huge problem. Therefore, it has now become a matter of pride. Their playoff match against Benfica is an important opportunity to erase the memory of that bad game. I'm sure Real Madrid are aware of this. They will focus on Benfica's weaknesses and try to exploit those areas. It will be a tough tie for Benfica, but I'm sure they will do their best against Real Madrid. Real Madrid, on the other hand, will be the team that advances after the two matches. They don't easily lose matches in Spain, the important thing is to get an advantageous score in Portugal.

[Ryu_Ar1]

Real Madrid conceding 4 goals against Benfica in their last match was a huge problem. Therefore, it has now become a matter of pride. Their playoff match against Benfica is an important opportunity to erase the memory of that bad game. I'm sure Real Madrid are aware of this. They will focus on Benfica's weaknesses and try to exploit those areas. It will be a tough tie for Benfica, but I'm sure they will do their best against Real Madrid. Real Madrid, on the other hand, will be the team that advances after the two matches. They don't easily lose matches in Spain, the important thing is to get an advantageous score in Portugal.

Additional problems occur for Madrid now after they have to play off with the club that beat them in the league phase, lost 2 players due to red cards (Rodrygo and Raul Asencio) at this time they are also likely to potentially lose Jude in the 2 legs that will be carried out because yesterday Jude was injured in La Liga and according to some news that is currently possible around 4 to 5 weeks he can only recover and that makes them even more lost ammunition in the play off later.

Although there are still a lot of players who can still be paired with Arbeloa's current scheme, but still losing several pillars in midfield makes the situation may not go as expected. I still expect the first leg to end very well for Madrid although there are certainly concerns but still they must be able to secure the first leg away before really giving a bitter impression to Benfica at the Bernabeu.

[W Jr.]

Real Madrid conceding 4 goals against Benfica in their last match was a huge problem. Therefore, it has now become a matter of pride. Their playoff match against Benfica is an important opportunity to erase the memory of that bad game. I'm sure Real Madrid are aware of this. They will focus on Benfica's weaknesses and try to exploit those areas. It will be a tough tie for Benfica, but I'm sure they will do their best against Real Madrid. Real Madrid, on the other hand, will be the team that advances after the two matches. They don't easily lose matches in Spain, the important thing is to get an advantageous score in Portugal.

Additional problems occur for Madrid now after they have to play off with the club that beat them in the league phase, lost 2 players due to red cards (Rodrygo and Raul Asencio) at this time they are also likely to potentially lose Jude in the 2 legs that will be carried out because yesterday Jude was injured in La Liga and according to some news that is currently possible around 4 to 5 weeks he can only recover and that makes them even more lost ammunition in the play off later.

Although there are still a lot of players who can still be paired with Arbeloa's current scheme, but still losing several pillars in midfield makes the situation may not go as expected. I still expect the first leg to end very well for Madrid although there are certainly concerns but still they must be able to secure the first leg away before really giving a bitter impression to Benfica at the Bernabeu.

Real Madrid will have many missing players in their squad. If Jude Bellingham is out for 4 weeks, they have many alternatives, but Arbeloa will need to change his playing style. Real Madrid is still lacking a playmaker in midfield. Apart from Kroos and Modric, Real Madrid hasn't had a good playmaker in that position. Once they sign a good player for that area, they can make all sorts of changes to the team. They will feel this deficiency a lot in the first match against Benfica. I hope they succeed.

[8rch7]

Real Madrid conceding 4 goals against Benfica in their last match was a huge problem. Therefore, it has now become a matter of pride. Their playoff match against Benfica is an important opportunity to erase the memory of that bad game. I'm sure Real Madrid are aware of this. They will focus on Benfica's weaknesses and try to exploit those areas. It will be a tough tie for Benfica, but I'm sure they will do their best against Real Madrid. Real Madrid, on the other hand, will be the team that advances after the two matches. They don't easily lose matches in Spain, the important thing is to get an advantageous score in Portugal.

Huge problem for Real Madrid defense last match when conceding 4 goals against Benfica at last phase league round match in Champion League, crucially the fourth goals from Benfica scoring by their goal keeper at last minutes and make them success qualifying to the playoff round match. In this season, Real Madrid has huge problem with defense position how difficult to make clean sheet for every games in champion league or domestic league but sadly few weeks before window transfer close still not sign new central back until right now.
Another problem for Madrid during the first leg of playoff round match against Benfica will play three weeks later about Jude Bellingham injury last match in La Liga, I doubt will recovery and already for facing Benfica exactly for the first leg match because Bellingham got suffer injury.

[MorganaX]

Real Madrid conceding 4 goals against Benfica in their last match was a huge problem. Therefore, it has now become a matter of pride. Their playoff match against Benfica is an important opportunity to erase the memory of that bad game. I'm sure Real Madrid are aware of this. They will focus on Benfica's weaknesses and try to exploit those areas. It will be a tough tie for Benfica, but I'm sure they will do their best against Real Madrid. Real Madrid, on the other hand, will be the team that advances after the two matches. They don't easily lose matches in Spain, the important thing is to get an advantageous score in Portugal.

Additional problems occur for Madrid now after they have to play off with the club that beat them in the league phase, lost 2 players due to red cards (Rodrygo and Raul Asencio) at this time they are also likely to potentially lose Jude in the 2 legs that will be carried out because yesterday Jude was injured in La Liga and according to some news that is currently possible around 4 to 5 weeks he can only recover and that makes them even more lost ammunition in the play off later.

Although there are still a lot of players who can still be paired with Arbeloa's current scheme, but still losing several pillars in midfield makes the situation may not go as expected. I still expect the first leg to end very well for Madrid although there are certainly concerns but still they must be able to secure the first leg away before really giving a bitter impression to Benfica at the Bernabeu.

Real Madrid will have many missing players in their squad. If Jude Bellingham is out for 4 weeks, they have many alternatives, but Arbeloa will need to change his playing style. Real Madrid is still lacking a playmaker in midfield. Apart from Kroos and Modric, Real Madrid hasn't had a good playmaker in that position. Once they sign a good player for that area, they can make all sorts of changes to the team. They will feel this deficiency a lot in the first match against Benfica. I hope they succeed.

Personally we can say that is true, up till this moment they haven't gotten a playmaker that will control the mield field in full possession as kross and Modric did. For now, there is no better one in the club. Arder Gular is one that has been trying to make that and we can not ignore his performance he has been showing on the pitch, even though he is not as good as Toni Kroos and Modric at least it is something that we can say is a little bit better.

[Volgastallion]

Incredible bad luck for Benfica after a huge ammount of good luck to beat the Real Madrid, you beat them and just after it and when you are still celebrating the qualification you receive the information about your next rival in the next stage and is...... again Real Madrid. I hope they can do something but the game from the other day was one in a lifetime.

[Ale88]

Mourinho at Real Madrid again? No way. I highly doubt he will ever manage again one of the best teams in the world. He was very good 10-15 years ago but I feel like he never actually changed his style of play, which is kind of outdated at this point. He has a lot of experience for sure, but he's not the type of manager you'd want in charge of Real Madrid.

I heard this rumor a few weeks ago, some media said Perez wanted to bring Mou back to the Bernabeu to replace Xabi, there was also Zidane name on the list, but we know Mou was heavily criticized when he coached Madrid, his relationship with some Spanish media was not so good, as well as his relationship with Perez. So it is very unlikely for Mou to return to the Bernabeu again, he has also said it before to refuse.

Mourinho's name always sells well so I think these were just made up rumors. Mourinho is a manager of the past, not of the present, he never really updated himself. Don't get me wrong, he's still a very good manager but, as I was saying, I don't believe any big team will hire him again. In the last years he managed Roma, Fenerbahce and now Benfica: they are all good teams, but not great teams. That is his new dimension now.

[Mate2237]

Incredible bad luck for Benfica after a huge ammount of good luck to beat the Real Madrid, you beat them and just after it and when you are still celebrating the qualification you receive the information about your next rival in the next stage and is...... again Real Madrid. I hope they can do something but the game from the other day was one in a lifetime.

I don't this is an incredible bad luck as you made it look , this is football if Benfica can be at Madrid to make it to the playoffs then what stops them from beating this same side in this playoff round again.This game will be played in a two legged way so the both teams has equal opportunities to win because it's a home and away fixtures. At the end of the day this game will be decided on the basis of which team is more hungry with a greater willingness to win.


Madrid will come into this game as the favorite one but anyone trying to underrate Benfica will be making a great mistake because they are led by the coach who pride himself as the special one who has seen every thing when it comes to football so he knows what to do when facing better opponent like this.