UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Season

[alankasman]

That is what everyone was expecting that Real Madrid will be able to win against and it is not the matter oh having expensive players experience matter and if it is about experience I will gladly say that real Madrid players are very experienced but when it comes to usage they are have reduced there self to giving out low performance and that have affected everything about the club so if I am to blame I will blame the players. Because they have one of the major roles to play, because how Benfica was able to to win that game is something we can not even explain this because madrid was able to win that game but they lost the game. Mourinho used a very good tactics to be able to win the game. But since the game eventually turned out that there is not anyone can do than to just accept what have happened already.

Many predicted that Real Madrid would win the match against Benfica due to their superior strength. Ultimately everyone was surprised by the result which was won by Jose Mourinho's team with a score that was quite embarrassing for a team of Real Madrid's stature known for its many young players with better reputations than Benfica's.

This was clear because Benfica has a coach who also previously coached Real Madrid so Mourinho was somewhat familiar with the rhythm of their game, especially with Arbeloa. However with this result Real Madrid was assured of progress to the next round. Although they lost their points total was certainly enough to advance.

[coinlary]

I don't think this loss was because Real Madrid underestimated their opponent; rather, it was due to their current very poor performance, which has been evident since Arbeloa became Real Madrid's interim coach.

We all know that Real Madrid hasn't been the same since their last UCL x La Liga trophy, and that was under Ancelotti. There was a lot of speculation then claiming they weren't in form at that moment. That continued for a whole season before Ancelotti eventually got fired, and then it was Xabi, who also got fired recently.
Arbeloa hasn't even played up to five games. How could you claim it was only obvious when he's a manager?

[PremiumcryptoHub]

Actually we have to accept this fact that the Benfica team manager is very intelligent and their players are hard workers. Even we saw the most exciting moment in that Champions League match between the Portuguese club and Real Madrid was when the Benfica team goalkeeper Trubin scored a goal with a header in the 98th minute.

I think this is why Mourinho is called The Special One. Benfica needed a win to qualify for the playoffs. Real Madrid, on the other hand, only needed a draw to qualify. This looked like an easy match for Real Madrid. They played solidly and didn't make any mistakes. After Mbappé scored the first goal, their chances of qualifying increased. But the intensity of the attack increased and four goals were scored, with Benfica scoring three and Madrid two. And the interesting fact is that Real Madrid still qualified for the playoffs despite losing, but Benfica not only had to win the match but actually needed a two-goal margin to qualify. I thought it was over for Benfica. But one of the most iconic moments had happened. A goalkeeper became the deciding factor in their team's playoff qualification after scoring a last-minute goal against one of the best clubs in the world. I think this story will go down in history, and I think Mourinho truly deserves the nickname The Special One.

The Benfica team was very aggressive and I think their goalkeeper contributed a lot in that match. You are right that maybe that is why Jose Mourinho is called the Special One, by the way did you notice that this manager was previously fired from a club in the Turkish league but now we see that under this manager, his team won 4-2 against Madrid in the Champions League and that's right, they needed a win from this game to qualify for the playoffs. However you may have also noticed that Real Madrid took the lead in the 30th minute through a goal from Kylian Mbappe but I think  since then, the Portuguese club's comeback streak began in that Champions League match.

[Curious T]

This was clear because Benfica has a coach who also previously coached Real Madrid so Mourinho was somewhat familiar with the rhythm of their game, especially with Arbeloa. However with this result Real Madrid was assured of progress to the next round. Although they lost their points total was certainly enough to advance.

I don't believe it has anything to do with knowing the system or being familiar with the rhythm of the club. Madrid were just too awful. If a good manager had been in charge, Benfica would not have stood a chance. Madrid was outplayed. It was like Benfica wanted it more, and they were the only ones who had a tactic. Madrid just focused on their individuality, which is not a very reliable way to play football.

I am watching the draw right now, and Madrid better pray they don't meet Benfica again because Jose would do all he can to make sure his team knocks out Madrid in the playoffs.

Update: It's Benfica v Madrid again in the playoffs.
You can't make this stuff up. If football were a movie, people would complain that it's too unrealistic 

[$weetne$$]

The Benfica team was very aggressive and I think their goalkeeper contributed a lot in that match. You are right that maybe that is why Jose Mourinho is called the Special One, by the way did you notice that this manager was previously fired from a club in the Turkish league but now we see that under this manager, his team won 4-2 against Madrid in the Champions League and that's right, they needed a win from this game to qualify for the playoffs. However you may have also noticed that Real Madrid took the lead in the 30th minute through a goal from Kylian Mbappe but since then, the Portuguese club's comeback trend has begun.

Benfica went all in and it was worth all the effort they put in that game and for the move by that goalkeeper, it was such  brilliant one form both the keeper and Jose Mourinho, that would have been the last move any one would have expected of him at any time and even at the time we saw that he already had no time as the match was about  to come to an end, he still insisted on that move by the goal keeper and that became the highlight of the champions league that even, congratulations to them on their qualification.

[Uhde]

I don't think this loss was because Real Madrid underestimated their opponent; rather, it was due to their current very poor performance, which has been evident since Arbeloa became Real Madrid's interim coach.

We all know that Real Madrid hasn't been the same since their last UCL x La Liga trophy, and that was under Ancelotti. There was a lot of speculation then claiming they weren't in form at that moment. That continued for a whole season before Ancelotti eventually got fired, and then it was Xabi, who also got fired recently.
Arbeloa hasn't even played up to five games. How could you claim it was only obvious when he's a manager?

Real Madrid players are playing for their own egos, not for the team. They’re all like i should score the goal, i should do the dribble... Because of this and with a bit of help from the weather Benfica found so many chances against Real.
By the way, something really weird happened just before Benfica’s goal, their goalkeeper caught the ball in his own box and tried to waste time by laying on the ground. Rui Costa, went crazy at him. Then literally one minute later that same goalie went and scored a header  

[cygan]

here we go guys - the play-offs have just been drawn!!!

[MK-74]

Galatasaray have been drawn against Juventus. It won’t be an easy match for Galatasaray, but it won’t be easy for Juventus either.
I don’t think the two teams’ strengths are very different. In my opinion, there is no favorite in this match.

A big opportunity has come for Real Madrid as they have been drawn against Benfica. Because of the defeat they suffered on Wednesday, they failed to finish in the top 8 and Benfica were responsible for that. Now I think they will eliminate them.

[Not your key not your BTC]

I don't think this loss was because Real Madrid underestimated their opponent; rather, it was due to their current very poor performance, which has been evident since Arbeloa became Real Madrid's interim coach.

We all know that Real Madrid hasn't been the same since their last UCL x La Liga trophy, and that was under Ancelotti. There was a lot of speculation then claiming they weren't in form at that moment. That continued for a whole season before Ancelotti eventually got fired, and then it was Xabi, who also got fired recently.
Arbeloa hasn't even played up to five games. How could you claim it was only obvious when he's a manager?

Arbeloa clearly lacks the skills to be a coach. Just imagine, before Arbeloa was appointed, Real Madrid were eighth in the standings, but Arbeloa couldn't maintain their position, which is a requirement for direct qualification to the round of 16. And most painfully, they were defeated by Benfica, whose quality was far superior to theirs, and Benfica were almost eliminated from the Champions League. I doubt Real Madrid can win a trophy this season, and Arbeloa won't be able to improve Real Madrid's performance either.

[landheer]

Arsenal had a good run in this season's champions league phase and they did the unthinkable, unbeaten 8/8 no lost game and it seems like these guys are ready to take on any team that comes their way. At this point which of these teams are capable enough to stop the Gunners; Dortmund, Atalanta, Olympiacos and Bayer Leverkusen...can they stop Arsenal?

Arsenal has indeed performed extraordinarily in the UCL league phase. I didn't expect Arsenal to perform well in the UCL because Arsenal with this busy match schedule has a good achievement. Yes, Arsenal will definitely be ready to face any team because they have good strength and will definitely have a better mentality after being able to beat many UCL teams. But I think all the teams in the UCL who will be in the round of 16 will definitely be ready to beat Arsenal because the teams in the round of 16 are strong teams and there will definitely be tight competition. I think we'll just have to see what happens in the round of 16 later whether Arteta will be able to lead Arsenal to continue winning or not. But if you look at the Arsenal vs. Man United match, I think there is a potential that Arsenal will also experience something like that in the UCL in the round of 16 later.

[$weetne$$]

I don't think this loss was because Real Madrid underestimated their opponent; rather, it was due to their current very poor performance, which has been evident since Arbeloa became Real Madrid's interim coach.

We all know that Real Madrid hasn't been the same since their last UCL x La Liga trophy, and that was under Ancelotti. There was a lot of speculation then claiming they weren't in form at that moment. That continued for a whole season before Ancelotti eventually got fired, and then it was Xabi, who also got fired recently.
Arbeloa hasn't even played up to five games. How could you claim it was only obvious when he's a manager?

Whenever a team begins to perform poorly and below expectations, first point of blame will be with the head coach, if it then happens that the coach was newly hired  with hopes of helicopter  the team doing better than they were with the coach that was just sacked, you see the expectations becomes even higher and they are not even as patient enough  to give him time because want many will be expecting at that instance will be some sort of magic, so when you see a new coach been blamed, just know it is one of those things.

[Sexylizzy2813]

Arsenal had a good run in this season's champions league phase and they did the unthinkable, unbeaten 8/8 no lost game and it seems like these guys are ready to take on any team that comes their way. At this point which of these teams are capable enough to stop the Gunners; Dortmund, Atalanta, Olympiacos and Bayer Leverkusen...can they stop Arsenal?

It is a great record for the league phase, but it will only be of value if they reach the final. Otherwise nobody will be talking about it rather sooner than later. The most important games they won were against Inter Milan, Bayern Munich and Atlético Madrid and I think those are the games that have the strongest predictive value. When it was still the old format, it could happen that there was one huge team and then three weak teams and it didn't mean much to win all games in the group stage, but I think now it is noteworthy.

That's true and Arsenal have a very bad record of starting something and not finishing it, that alone has made many opposition fans to see them as failure and non has taken them seriously in any competition they're in. This new style in the champions league has already gotten used to many of the clubs because of how they approach each UCL games and now we have Arsenal doing what nobody expect from them, unbeaten and it will be better to add it up with a trophy like you said. The next phase of the champions league will be a two leg battle, you lose you go and Arsenal need to bring up their best, if I'm to choose or let's say predict Arsenal's opponent I'd go for Olympiacos and if it happens that way it will be a joke and away victory for Arsenal.

[MArsland]

here we go guys - the play-offs have just been drawn!!!

Benfica? again? lol
Absolute cinema, this will only cause more pain if Real Madrid can't beat Benfica. It's quite surprising because among the other matches, this is the only one that worries me.
The pressure was on Madrid, as they were treating the match as a revenge match, a worst-case scenario where Benfica was able to play on their players' mentality.

[TastyChillySauce00]

here we go guys - the play-offs have just been drawn!!!

Holy shite! I can't believe it how Real Madrid is facing Benfica again. This is gonna be the most exciting game to me. I don't care with the rest of games since it's about a strong team vs a weak team, but totally different with Madrid vs Benfica.
We have seen how Madrid mocked everywhere due to the Benfica's goalie scored against themat the qualifier phase. If they can do revenge in this play off, they're good. However, if they lose to the Benfica again. They will be mocked entire season.

I don't have good feeling for Madrid. I expect Arbeloa to repeat the same thing in the play off to keep rely upon individual brilliance. So they will be losing to the Benfica again.
If it's gonna happen perez must have balls to get rid of Arbeloa and 90% of players in the main squad. It also makes me think to pick Benfica over Madrid in this game.  Cheesy Cheesy Cheesy Cheesy

[Stavri]

here we go guys - the play-offs have just been drawn!!!

Holy shite! I can't believe it how Real Madrid is facing Benfica again. This is gonna be the most exciting game to me. I don't care with the rest of games since it's about a strong team vs a weak team, but totally different with Madrid vs Benfica.
We have seen how Madrid mocked everywhere due to the Benfica's goalie scored against themat the qualifier phase. If they can do revenge in this play off, they're good. However, if they lose to the Benfica again. They will be mocked entire season.

I don't have good feeling for Madrid. I expect Arbeloa to repeat the same thing in the play off to keep rely upon individual brilliance. So they will be losing to the Benfica again.
If it's gonna happen perez must have balls to get rid of Arbeloa and 90% of players in the main squad. It also makes me think to pick Benfica over Madrid in this game.  Cheesy Cheesy Cheesy Cheesy

Looks like the gods are trolling Real Madrid  That miracle goal by Trubin didn't just put Benfica into the playoffs it set them up against Real. It’s the perfect stage for Mourinho to do his thing and put on a show again.

[Sexylizzy2813]

Arsenal had a good run in this season's champions league phase and they did the unthinkable, unbeaten 8/8 no lost game and it seems like these guys are ready to take on any team that comes their way. At this point which of these teams are capable enough to stop the Gunners; Dortmund, Atalanta, Olympiacos and Bayer Leverkusen...can they stop Arsenal?

Achieving a full victory is indeed a matter of pride because not all clubs can do it in the first round phase but leading the first position for now does not guarantee Arsenal can win the UCL title so they should not be too proud first because the journey is still long there are still many obstacles that Arsenal will face, I remember last season when Liverpool qualified for the round of 16 by leading the first position but Liverpool could not last longer and lost in the round of 16 so leading the standings must be proven by their performance in the next rounds.

That's to the fans, I mean Arsenal fans because some are seeing their team as the team to be in the finals and that Liverpool of last season should be an example of how the number 1 team was kicked out in the knockout round, now they only need to focus more on their next opponent and forget about the lead they took as league leaders. This is not a time where they should sit down and relax like the job is done, no...this is the moment when we'll know the teams that are fit to go far and if Arsenal fail again to be in the finals of this season's champions league, for me I think is another failed move by the manager because this is the best squad so far and they need to be in the finals.

[$crypto$]

here we go guys - the play-offs have just been drawn!!!

Benfica vs Real Madrid meet again? It could be Real Madrid's revenge when they return to the knockout rounds.
There will be more interesting matches in the knockout system as we wonder who will qualify?
Bodo/Glimt could be on the radar of many as this team is always difficult to beat, as we know Man City and Atletico were knocked out by Bodo/Glimt.

[8rch7]

Recently an update from the playoff round drawing match and Real Madrid will face Benfica again, its opportunity for Arbeloa revenge the defeated from Benfica last match and must eliminate Jose Mourinho teams at the playoff round matches for qualifying to round of 16. I think good drawing for Real Madrid regarding have prediction before will face Inter Milan and likely Benfica become the weakness opponent teams than have to face Inter Milan.
Regarding the drawing playoff round until semifinal round, there are has possibility to see La Liga final team in Champion League if Barcelona and Real Madrid can perform well and success qualifying until the final round. I am still expectation with Real Madrid will perform well and winning UEFA Champion League trophy for this season.

[NotATether]

Bodo/Glimt could be on the radar of many as this team is always difficult to beat, as we know Man City and Atletico were knocked out by Bodo/Glimt.

No.

They were merely beaten by Bodo in the group stage. Elimination only happens starting from today.

[Finebone]

Looks like the gods are trolling Real Madrid  That miracle goal by Trubin didn't just put Benfica into the playoffs it set them up against Real. It’s the perfect stage for Mourinho to do his thing and put on a show again.

This is not just strolling mate, they just want a piece of real madrid 
On paper real madrid will always be the favourite to progress in this both legs, and it would be difficult to put your money against them, but the Jose Mourinho factor benfica came with is another reason this game would be fascinating and difficult for this real madrid team.
Now that real madrid don't have a reliable manager, I really doubt if real madrid can prove themselves this time around and win this benfica team managed by Jose Mourinho over both legs. It would really be fascinating, and it's one of the playoff games I will be looking up to.