UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Season

[Tamaperdana]

Why do you say as if Real Madrid didn't qualify for the next round and they ended up here?? in my opinion Real Madrid will not end in the playoff round they will definitely qualify for the next round, regarding their chance to win the title in the Champions League Real Madrid also still has that chance. If you remember how last season went when PSG did not qualify directly and they had to go through the playoff round but in the end they were the ones who lifted the trophy so even though right now Real Madrid has to go through the play off round everything is not over for Madrid.

Yes,, Real Madrid's hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages are still wide open, but we still shouldn't rule out the possibility that Real Madrid might fail to qualify. Although the possibility is indeed very small, it's still a possibility. Therefore,, I think we can be optimistic about Real Madrid because that's what we must do if we want Real Madrid to advance to the next round.

Furthermore,, if we talk about whether Real Madrid can win the Champions League or not, I think this is clearly very unlikely. Because Real Madrid's current performance is clearly not good. So, I think it will be very difficult for Real Madrid to become champions in the Champions League this season. Because if you compare it to what happened to PSG last season,, I think it's natural for PSG to win, because their performance was really good at that time, so I don't think we can compare it to Real Madrid's current performance.

[Alpha Marine]

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 guess you've not been watching Madrid regularly this season if you believe this. Madrid plays very poorly, and they're not as difficult to defeat as they once were.
Any team with discipline and structure can defeat Madrid. See how they struggle against la liga team that plays in a disciplined structure. Madrid has quality, so they mostly used that to beat small teams or teams that are not good, but when they meet a good team, individual quality alone is not enough; you need a system or structure to win, and they don't have it.

Madrid are obviously still favourites in that game, but Benfica has a very big chance to qualify. The first leg being at home is an advantage to them because all they need to do is make sure they win without conceding, and with the current state of Madrid, they only need to hold off Mbappe and Vinicius. Without Mbappe and Vinicius, Madrid will struggle to get goals.
Mourinho is good in scenarios like this. When he meets a manager that doesn't have a superior system or structure, he excels.

[Ryu_Ar1]

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.

It is very difficult to bring in a good playmaker and at the moment if we look at the existing pattern of play only Jude and Arda are used as creative playmakers for Madrid because for some other midfielders like Tchouameni he is more tactical towards defense and for Camavinga and Fede his function becomes more flexible because he can play on several lines so for creative playmakers like Modric or Kroos who are quite brilliant in terms of passing it is not easy.

Against Benfica, it's likely that Arda's position will be shifted slightly or if not then Brahim / Camavinga will fill that position but I agree that there must be a change in the style of play because it will be very difficult to force the same style of play.
There are still a few weeks in La Liga before we actually face the first leg and it could be a process of adaptation and finding a new pattern for Madrid's scheme of play.

[Webetcoins]

Everything happening is a mere coincidence and nothing more. Mourinho didn't display his experience on the players that day because he wanted to gain attention from Perez in hiring him. He only proved to Real Madrid that if he has a better squad he can win any team that crosses his part which he showed it. Mourinho is good at managing a smaller club and not all these big European clubs..

While he wasn't bad at Real Madrid obviously, it's proven by the fact that they won before and after him many times as well that achievements he had wasn't really that shocking because the team is Real Madrid so Mourinho is not needed to win. Plus, he has been not so great for a while, and been managing either failed teams, or small win teams, like Roma, and that is why he has been fired from all his jobs in the recent years, no matter what his fans think he "won", he got fired, simple as that.

[MArsland]

Why do you say as if Real Madrid didn't qualify for the next round and they ended up here?? in my opinion Real Madrid will not end in the playoff round they will definitely qualify for the next round, regarding their chance to win the title in the Champions League Real Madrid also still has that chance. If you remember how last season went when PSG did not qualify directly and they had to go through the playoff round but in the end they were the ones who lifted the trophy so even though right now Real Madrid has to go through the play off round everything is not over for Madrid.

Yes,, Real Madrid's hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages are still wide open, but we still shouldn't rule out the possibility that Real Madrid might fail to qualify. Although the possibility is indeed very small, it's still a possibility. Therefore,, I think we can be optimistic about Real Madrid because that's what we must do if we want Real Madrid to advance to the next round.

On the contrary, I do not have high hopes for Real Madrid this season in the UCL. Because gradually with the quality of the current squad is not enough to show Madrid go further. Benfica chances of eliminating Real Madrid are quite high and I can't deny that Benfica play as a unit that has a clear vision, while Madrid players are still in a phase of self discovery as a big club, club management is increasingly losing confidence and players are losing chemistry.

[RockBell]

I guess you've not been watching Madrid regularly this season if you believe this. Madrid plays very poorly, and they're not as difficult to defeat as they once were.
Any team with discipline and structure can defeat Madrid. See how they struggle against la liga team that plays in a disciplined structure. Madrid has quality, so they mostly used that to beat small teams or teams that are not good, but when they meet a good team, individual quality alone is not enough; you need a system or structure to win, and they don't have it.

Any club that is playing against Real Madrid is no longer scared because they can even go to the extent of winning. A lot of clubs that are not even up to Real Madrid have defeated them, so what else can anyone say about Real Madrid because they have disappointed many this past months and all this is because of their poor performance, and I'm sure that on a normal day nobody will joke with Real Madrid because they know there worth, but not the real Madrid we are seen now so a lot have been happening in that club that needs quick intervention.

Madrid are obviously still favourites in that game, but Benfica has a very big chance to qualify. The first leg being at home is an advantage to them because all they need to do is make sure they win without conceding, and with the current state of Madrid, they only need to hold off Mbappe and Vinicius. Without Mbappe and Vinicius, Madrid will struggle to get goals.
Mourinho is good in scenarios like this. When he meets a manager that doesn't have a superior system or structure, he excels.

And there issue with benfica we can not even underestimate Benfica again, because anything can still happen in this situation because Madrid on its own is not even serious because they lose to clubs that are less, and all this because there defense is bad, and they also need to bring in more players to maintain a lot of things that have gone bad in that club Mourinho  used everything to his own advantage and it worked for him am impressed.

[barisbilgili]

Everything happening is a mere coincidence and nothing more. Mourinho didn't display his experience on the players that day because he wanted to gain attention from Perez in hiring him. He only proved to Real Madrid that if he has a better squad he can win any team that crosses his part which he showed it. Mourinho is good at managing a smaller club and not all these big European clubs..

While he wasn't bad at Real Madrid obviously, it's proven by the fact that they won before and after him many times as well that achievements he had wasn't really that shocking because the team is Real Madrid so Mourinho is not needed to win. Plus, he has been not so great for a while, and been managing either failed teams, or small win teams, like Roma, and that is why he has been fired from all his jobs in the recent years, no matter what his fans think he "won", he got fired, simple as that.

And what's also important to remember is that it's over and I'm sure Mourinho will never return to Real Madrid because I think that's realistic because Mourinho's reputation has declined and now Real Madrid's management must focus on developing the team even though they do have to find a quality and experienced coach and I'm sure Mourinho is not the one.

[Sarah Azhari]

Why do you say as if Real Madrid didn't qualify for the next round and they ended up here?? in my opinion Real Madrid will not end in the playoff round they will definitely qualify for the next round, regarding their chance to win the title in the Champions League Real Madrid also still has that chance. If you remember how last season went when PSG did not qualify directly and they had to go through the playoff round but in the end they were the ones who lifted the trophy so even though right now Real Madrid has to go through the play off round everything is not over for Madrid.

Yes,, Real Madrid's hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages are still wide open, but we still shouldn't rule out the possibility that Real Madrid might fail to qualify. Although the possibility is indeed very small, it's still a possibility. Therefore,, I think we can be optimistic about Real Madrid because that's what we must do if we want Real Madrid to advance to the next round.

Furthermore,, if we talk about whether Real Madrid can win the Champions League or not, I think this is clearly very unlikely. Because Real Madrid's current performance is clearly not good. So, I think it will be very difficult for Real Madrid to become champions in the Champions League this season. Because if you compare it to what happened to PSG last season,, I think it's natural for PSG to win, because their performance was really good at that time, so I don't think we can compare it to Real Madrid's current performance.

Most people, including myself, predicted that Real Madrid wouldn't advance to the round of 16, not only because of their poor performance but also because of Arbeloa's inexperience as a coach. Unlike Benfica, although their performance was also poor, Mourinho, a world-class coach, was able to lift the team's performance amidst immense pressure.

While the Champions League is always full of surprises, Real Madrid's current situation doesn't seem comparable to PSG's last season. They have a coach with a different level of experience than the current Real Madrid manager. It's understandable that most people doubt Real Madrid can advance further in this season's Champions League.

[*Ace*]

Inter did very well in this draw; they could have faced Benfica, who would have been tougher to beat.
Juventus got a great team, but one that is within their reach.
Atalanta was very unlucky, in my opinion, getting Borussia Dortmund.

All three can do it; their opponents are strong but not unbeatable. I hope for the best for all the Italian teams competing in the Champions League.

I don't think that inter Milan has a better draw bro, on paper it looks like an easy draw, but in reality it's not. That Bodo/Glimt that they met beat Manchester City and atletico madrid in their last two games in the uefa champions league group stage, so do you think such opponent is going to be easier?

It would even be better they are facing a more strong and recognized team like the opponent of Atalanta and Juventus, thank facing a giant killing team that will play as if their lives depends on them winning.
As I have said already, on paper, inter milan is the clear favourite, but it's a tricky test they might not survive if they are complacent or they approach this game looking down on their opponent.

You're right, mate, but I don't think Bodo/Glimt can keep beating the big teams from now on. Simply because during group matches, many teams play conservatively to keep their strength fresh if they are in a good position in the standings. Do you think Manchester City would ever have lost to them if their passage to the next round had been compromised?
I don't think so.

[dollyamo]

Real Madrid is a team that dominates the league and has done so for many years, but considering that this year the thing is different, it seems that there is a much more competitive Barcelona than the other times even if they have more or less been in line with each other.

Real Madrid is certainly one of the favorite teams, clearly this makes everyone else intimidated by what they do but it also seems to me that Barcelona is much more competitive than the other teams that are doing an excellent championship, i am very curious how it will end up!

[Toro iskandar]

Real Madrid is a team that dominates the league and has done so for many years, but considering that this year the thing is different, it seems that there is a much more competitive Barcelona than the other times even if they have more or less been in line with each other.

Real Madrid is certainly one of the favorite teams, clearly this makes everyone else intimidated by what they do but it also seems to me that Barcelona is much more competitive than the other teams that are doing an excellent championship, i am very curious how it will end up!

In my opinion, Barcelona and Real Madrid are the same, they are the favorite clubs in the Spanish League and always take turns to win the trophy, both are always competing closely and the points difference is not much different, last season the La Liga trophy belonged to Barcelona this season cannot be confirmed yet, but looking at the performance of these two teams, it seems that Barcelona has a greater chance of retaining the trophy.

[pewboy]

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.

Real Madrid can certainly do well compared to Barcelona and the distance doesn't even seem so far away, right now i think the coach must be interested in how the team is doing and how to make it play better, there is certainly a way, clearly these players must be motivated.

[puloweh555]

Why do you say as if Real Madrid didn't qualify for the next round and they ended up here?? in my opinion Real Madrid will not end in the playoff round they will definitely qualify for the next round, regarding their chance to win the title in the Champions League Real Madrid also still has that chance. If you remember how last season went when PSG did not qualify directly and they had to go through the playoff round but in the end they were the ones who lifted the trophy so even though right now Real Madrid has to go through the play off round everything is not over for Madrid.

Yes,, Real Madrid's hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages are still wide open, but we still shouldn't rule out the possibility that Real Madrid might fail to qualify. Although the possibility is indeed very small, it's still a possibility. Therefore,, I think we can be optimistic about Real Madrid because that's what we must do if we want Real Madrid to advance to the next round.

On the contrary, I do not have high hopes for Real Madrid this season in the UCL. Because gradually with the quality of the current squad is not enough to show Madrid go further. Benfica chances of eliminating Real Madrid are quite high and I can't deny that Benfica play as a unit that has a clear vision, while Madrid players are still in a phase of self discovery as a big club, club management is increasingly losing confidence and players are losing chemistry.

It must be admitted that Benfica played quite well in the previous match, leaving Real Madrid unable to do much and suffering a painful defeat, even sending Real Madrid to the play offs where they will face Benfica again.

But make no mistake Real Madrid is still Real Madrid when playing in the UCL. They will remain the favorites, especially since this match is crucial for advancing to the next round. So, I still favor Real Madrid in both legs because Real Madrid's player quality is superior to Benfica's and Real Madrid always learns from their mistakes. Arbeloa certainly won't repeat the same mistakes especially in his lineup and substitutions. I'm not underestimating Benfica under coach Jose Mourinho. They will put up a tough fight against Real Madrid, but with Real Madrid's superior quality over Benfica, I think Real Madrid's players know how to win.

[BlackBaron]

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.

Real Madrid can certainly do well compared to Barcelona and the distance doesn't even seem so far away, right now i think the coach must be interested in how the team is doing and how to make it play better, there is certainly a way, clearly these players must be motivated.

In La Liga, there is still a great opportunity for REal Madrid to shift Barcelona who are at the top of the standings. But in the Champions League, their journey will be even more difficult and they also have to face the team that beat them before which makes them have to be in the play off round.

Benfica have the upper hand because of their victory in the previous meeting, instead Real Madrid will want to avenge Benfica who humiliated them in the last league match. If they lose again against Benfica then it will be a very hard slap, especially for Arbeloa.

[Volgastallion]

If you ask me i really want to see Real Madrid out of the Champions League not because i hate the team but i really want to punish the childist behavior of one player and that player is Mbappe who thinks he can always be the boss on the dressroom above of the coach, so he deserves to be out of the competition and never lift the UCL despite his huge ammount of goals scored. Plus another player who deserve to be out is vinicius.

[Solodoski]

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.

They have Bellingham, I though he was a replacement of Tony Kross. Unfortunately, he cant give the same level of performance Modric and Kross will give in that midfield. Football fans should let Real Madrid rebuild their team properly. They are in a rebuilding phase. Hoping anything good will come out from them this season is strange. Building a team in football takes years to make it better. I am surprised how Real Madrid is still chasing for the La Liga title, because Barcelona has a more complete squad than Real Madrid.

[bitLeap]

The Leg 1 play off round will open with a big team where Galatasaray vs Juventus is a tough match, Dortmund vs Atalanta and Monaco vs PSG is a meeting with opponents from the same league should be able to see the results of the comparison every time they meet in their respective leagues. While Benfica vs Madrid must be difficult for Arbeloa to beat the opponent whose results last time were quite devastating to the spirit of the players.

[Swordsoffreedom]

While he wasn't bad at Real Madrid obviously, it's proven by the fact that they won before and after him many times as well that achievements he had wasn't really that shocking because the team is Real Madrid so Mourinho is not needed to win. Plus, he has been not so great for a while, and been managing either failed teams, or small win teams, like Roma, and that is why he has been fired from all his jobs in the recent years, no matter what his fans think he "won", he got fired, simple as that.

It is probably not right to underestimate Mourinho so much. He is quite experienced. And experience is definitely worth it. We got proof of this in the Benfica vs Madrid match. Benfica dominated and won against Madrid because of Mourinho's decent strategy. There is no way to deny that Benfica won by performing well.

Everyone is waiting for the Madrid vs Benfica match in the play-offs. Madrid are the favorites. But it will be difficult for Mourinho to win against Benfica. Mourinho has observed Madrid's problems well. And he has also been able to identify Madrid's weaknesses. If Madrid wants to win this match, they will definitely have to change their strategy. If they cannot apply any new strategy, it will be very difficult to win against Benfica.

[LUCKMCFLY]

But again on the other hand, we should and always have it at the back of our minds that prevention is always better than cure, when we have a loved one or friend who is always gambling and we know that if left alone, they will gamble until they become addicted, it makes much more sense for us to help them at that particular time they are not addicted yet, doing this at this time will be less stressful for us, and we may not even have to employ the services of a specialist or a therapist because at this stage where the person is not addicted yet, simple and constant advice can help the person retrace his or her steps and avoid getting addicted.

That's right, bro Well, personally, I've always said that addiction should be dealt with by the people who know the most about it. Psychologists and psychiatrists have a clearer understanding of this However, it's happened to me, not with addiction but with other activities, that whenever I help someone, the feedback hasn't been good These people are sometimes ungrateful. You have to know who you're helping. However, with addiction, I would do anything to help.

[Frankolala]

The Leg 1 play off round will open with a big team where Galatasaray vs Juventus is a tough match, Dortmund vs Atalanta and Monaco vs PSG is a meeting with opponents from the same league should be able to see the results of the comparison every time they meet in their respective leagues. While Benfica vs Madrid must be difficult for Arbeloa to beat the opponent whose results last time were quite devastating to the spirit of the players.

Oh my gwad! If Real Madrid is to still play with Benfica, Arbeloa needs to come up with a good strategy to outplay his opponent if not Jose Mourinho will win Madrid back to back and that will be a disgraceful win to them. Juventus should be able to win Galatasaray and PSG should win Monaco. Madrid match is unpredictable to me.