UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Season

[banana33]

For the first leg, my only hope is that if Madrid do lose, the aggregate deficit won't be too big. As long as the gap is manageable, they still have a solid chance to make a comeback in the second leg and eliminate Benfica.

It is no coincidence that i would dare to say that whoever coaches Real Madrid truly has a huge responsibility and i would not want to be in his place at this difficult time for the Blancos team.
I is confident that things can really get better, but this season seems to be doomed.

[Frankolala]

One thing you must understand is that there is no how you play that fans wouldn't complain, it is a general issue that has always been in the game but the one that annoying me the most is when fans take because of a single mistake and criticism the player to extend of calling him names that is the part I hate the most. There is no players that is over mistake no matter how talented you are there must surly be a mistake in the long run but let's not forget about the effort of the player in the team because as far as I know Mbappe is doing pretty well in the team. So we shouldn't take because one mistake and criticism a talented young man that is even trying to lift the team it is totally unacceptable.

The problem is that this dude has played great anywhere he played, all the way from Monaco to PSG to Real Madrid and also at France national team as well. But whenever the team loses, he became the problem and what everyone talked about.

Mbappe scored two goals at world cup finals and yet he still got the problem, he scored even the penalty later and got his third and he was seen as the issue. Same with PSG, he played wonderful and won everything but because they won UCL without him, dude was seen as the reason. Now Real Madrid is failing even though he is doing his best, and people think he is the problem.

I don't know maybe, they expect his team to always win as if he's the god of football. However, if his side wins we wouldn't hear anything that it was his efforts alone but if his club fails, Mbappe is the only problem. I am happy because Mbappe is not allowing all these weigh him down but motivates him to be better.

[SuperBitMan]

For the first leg, my only hope is that if Madrid do lose, the aggregate deficit won't be too big. As long as the gap is manageable, they still have a solid chance to make a comeback in the second leg and eliminate Benfica.

It is no coincidence that i would dare to say that whoever coaches Real Madrid truly has a huge responsibility and i would not want to be in his place at this difficult time for the Blancos team.
I is confident that things can really get better, but this season seems to be doomed.

Sincerely, I don’t like the pressure Real Madrid is always putting on their coach. A lot of coaches cannot handle that pressure and when you put a coach in that condition, he will not perform better and the fact that Real Madrid players are all big players. They don’t even respect their coach is a very big problem, but it is left for them if they decide to disrespect their coach and not follow the instruction of their coach, they will keep losing and it will affect their career, Real Madrid should allow the coach to have a pretty space. The former coach was a very good option, but because of the pressure they were putting on him that was why everything ended the way it ended.
They will not lift any trophy this season, that’s for sure.

[liuka]

It is no coincidence that i would dare to say that whoever coaches Real Madrid truly has a huge responsibility and i would not want to be in his place at this difficult time for the Blancos team.
I is confident that things can really get better, but this season seems to be doomed.

To be a Real Madrid coach you have to be mentally prepared, after all this team will always aim for big things, there can't be any failures in each season otherwise you'll be sacked. And this season there is a tendency that they could fail again, although they still look good in La Liga and in the UCL they still have a chance, but with the situation of up and down performance, it is a bit worrying, I actually have some doubts about Arbeloa but also I cannot say that he cannot. But the point is that a successful coach at Real Madrid is a coach who can unite the star players, because then any tactics that the coach applies can be successful, for example in Zidane time.

[Richbased]

Yes, he are the special one, in fact he managed to surprise everyone, he did very well with Roma too, and i have to say that he managed to achieve notable successes with a team that wasn't getting good results anyway, he takes teams that seem dead and brings them to an absolutely superior level, he are really good, there's nothing to say

Jose Mourinho as a coach has always done very well when he is underrated or look down on, so if real madrid are wise, they need to treat this game with a lot of seriousness. Though the 4-2 losing that pitch them against each other is a message that real madrid got very clear, so they will take them very serious this time, but the big question is that, will their best be enough to eliminate this benfica team managed by Jose Mourinho?
That's what I can say for now, but if I were to gamble on this game, I will put my money on benfica to progress to the round of sixteen because of the presence of Jose Mourinho as benfica manager.

I just sense danger for Real Madrid because of Jose Mourinho, he can do anything to make sure that Benfica eliminates Real Madrid then he takes the glory even if they don't advance past the round of 16 if they qualify. Mourinho has many experiences on how to defeat big teams and what happened in the last game of the league phase between Real Madrid and Benfica is more like an eye opener to tell Madrid to be super prepared ahead of their meeting in the playoff round.

Mourinho is a tactician, he has proved it many times in European competitions so for Real Madrid to be able to defeat Benfica will mean that they will give that match more attention than their game against Real Sociedad tomorrow which i think it won't be possible because anything that makes them to compromise that match because of the Benfica match, it means Barcelona can utilize the opportunity and gap Real Madrid by 4 points and Barcelona has more advantage since they don't have a champions league match to play until the playoff round has been finalized.

[Mame89]

For the first leg, my only hope is that if Madrid do lose, the aggregate deficit won't be too big. As long as the gap is manageable, they still have a solid chance to make a comeback in the second leg and eliminate Benfica.

It is no coincidence that i would dare to say that whoever coaches Real Madrid truly has a huge responsibility and i would not want to be in his place at this difficult time for the Blancos team.
I is confident that things can really get better, but this season seems to be doomed.

Of course, coaching Real Madrid carries a greater responsibility, and Real Madrid holds every coach to high standards. When a coach loses consecutively it puts pressure on the coach, especially if they fail to advance to the round of 16. Albeloa could be immediately replaced by Real Madrid.

But Real Madrid isn't like other teams who suffer prolonged losing streaks. They have the mentality to turn things around. They possess a mentality that other teams lack. Like in previous seasons when Madrid was considered out of contention due to aggregate defeat they were able to pull off a miracle. This time, Real Madrid had 180 minutes to advance to the round of 16.

In the eighth match of the group stage, Real Madrid displayed a poor performance, leading to a bitter defeat to Benfica. However, for some reason with the squad they have, I have confidence that Real Madrid can progress to the second leg against Benfica. The skills possessed by each Real Madrid player make me believe they have players like Mbappe, Vini, Jude and several other players who can provide something different in the first and second legs later.

[SmartCharpa]

Even though I don’t want Madrid to lose the first leg, I still agree with your view on this matter. Mourinho really knows Madrid’s playing pattern inside out, and that’s exactly why a loss or even a draw wouldn’t be surprising. His understanding of their system could be a big advantage for Benfica. Unless Arbeloa can fully read whatever tactics and strategy Mourinho prepares, that’s probably the only way to break Benfica’s confidence. But let’s be honest, that sounds quite unlikely.

For the first leg, my only hope is that if Madrid do lose, the aggregate deficit won’t be too big. As long as the gap is manageable, they still have a solid chance to make a comeback in the second leg and eliminate Benfica.

Real Madrid should not lose the first leg, I think at this point Arbeloa should have study Mourinho tactics, they needs to improve more than they did in the last game where they conceded 4 goals at Benfica home ground. Even though Real Madrid faces difficult challenge in the first leg, the match should end in a draw, maybe they can lose by one goal, they should not concede much goals, since they will find it difficult to comeback in the second leg.

Mourinho will prepared his players for the next game, I believe Arbeloa also prepared his players to withstand the pressure from Benfica. Rodrygo will miss the both legs due to the red card he received in the last game, and I’m not sure if Bellingham will be ready for the game. I hope Vinicius and Mbappe gives the team the revenge in the next match’s to destroy them with a lot of goals.

[Gost ms]

For the first leg, my only hope is that if Madrid do lose, the aggregate deficit won't be too big. As long as the gap is manageable, they still have a solid chance to make a comeback in the second leg and eliminate Benfica.

It is no coincidence that i would dare to say that whoever coaches Real Madrid truly has a huge responsibility and i would not want to be in his place at this difficult time for the Blancos team.
I is confident that things can really get better, but this season seems to be doomed.

The coaches of big teams like Real Madrid, Barcelona are under a lot of pressure compared to other teams. Because if small teams lose, there is not much criticism. But if big teams like Real Madrid or Barcelona lose, there is a lot of criticism and everyone starts blaming the coaches. Currently, Real Madrid's position is not that good and before that, a coach was appointed, he was replaced and this coach was appointed again. After this coach was appointed, there was some improvement but now they are performing as before.

[Shadiq]

Real Madrid should not lose the first leg, I think at this point Arbeloa should have study Mourinho tactics, they needs to improve more than they did in the last game where they conceded 4 goals at Benfica home ground. Even though Real Madrid faces difficult challenge in the first leg, the match should end in a draw, maybe they can lose by one goal, they should not concede much goals, since they will find it difficult to comeback in the second leg.

Mourinho will prepared his players for the next game, I believe Arbeloa also prepared his players to withstand the pressure from Benfica. Rodrygo will miss the both legs due to the red card he received in the last game, and I’m not sure if Bellingham will be ready for the game. I hope Vinicius and Mbappe gives the team the revenge in the next match’s to destroy them with a lot of goals.

The first leg will be very difficult for Real Madrid, if they can successfully overcome the first leg then maybe Real Madrid will have a chance to fight for a few more matches in the Champions League. If the gap in the first leg is 2 or more than two, then the second leg will also be very difficult for Real Madrid. The way Benfica was beating Real Madrid in the last match, we may see its reflection in the next match as well, because both matches will be played at their home ground. The match depends on the inexperienced Real Madrid coach Arbeloa, his far-sighted strategy will determine the gap in this match.

[whiteblue]

For the first leg, my only hope is that if Madrid do lose, the aggregate deficit won't be too big. As long as the gap is manageable, they still have a solid chance to make a comeback in the second leg and eliminate Benfica.

It is no coincidence that i would dare to say that whoever coaches Real Madrid truly has a huge responsibility and i would not want to be in his place at this difficult time for the Blancos team.
I is confident that things can really get better, but this season seems to be doomed.

No, you can't confirm such a sentence now, Real Madrid can still turn things around, even though they lost before but now it's different, Real Madrid must be more serious about facing Benfica, from the 2 legs they will face they should be able to beat Benfica, Arbeloa has faced Benfica before, if he loses again then he should be blamed because in terms of the squad I think Real Madrid is much better than the players Benfica has.

[dollyamo]

If we look at the head-to-head in the two previous matches between them, Benfica won both, including the last match in this season's Champions League standings. As for the playoffs, I think it will be very different because it's about who will qualify for the round of 16, so Real Madrid will definitely be trying to get themselves through to that stage this season. Benfica are certainly not a bad team, but when it comes to the Champions League, conditions won't always be the same as their previous results, because every team always gives their best here.

Benfica is a team that is becoming very difficult and this makes everything much more difficult for Real Madrid because they will prepare for the double challenge at an extreme level knowing the difficulty of challenging such a strong opponent and if the team is ready like last time for Real there will be no escape.

[Halifat]

For the first leg, my only hope is that if Madrid do lose, the aggregate deficit won't be too big. As long as the gap is manageable, they still have a solid chance to make a comeback in the second leg and eliminate Benfica.

It is no coincidence that i would dare to say that whoever coaches Real Madrid truly has a huge responsibility and i would not want to be in his place at this difficult time for the Blancos team.
I is confident that things can really get better, but this season seems to be doomed.

In this match I feel that real madrid are save because i don't think the first mistake will ever repeat itself again, benfica defeated Real Madrid to get to the stage and now they have the same opponent to play with it to make it to the next stage which I see that is going to be very difficult for them to escape this match. Benfica did so well to make it to this level but I don't see any hope for them in their next two matches against Real Madrid.

[Velvet78]

Probably there are still people who think Benfica will even win at home in the first leg. Or get a draw at least. I wouldn't come to such conclusion just because Real Madrid lost to them in league phase.

I expect some good improvement by Real Madrid defense this time. I hope to see it at least. Maybe they have an inexperienced manager like Arbeloa. However we are still talking about Real Madrid. Benfica shouldn't be a team to make big difficulties for them in this stage.

[DanWalker]

The coaches of big teams like Real Madrid, Barcelona are under a lot of pressure compared to other teams. Because if small teams lose, there is not much criticism. But if big teams like Real Madrid or Barcelona lose, there is a lot of criticism and everyone starts blaming the coaches. Currently, Real Madrid's position is not that good and before that, a coach was appointed, he was replaced and this coach was appointed again. After this coach was appointed, there was some improvement but now they are performing as before.

Madrid's overall performance has been more unstable since the sacking of Alonso. However, they managed to continue their winning streak in La Liga. But their performance is not stable. And I am very disappointed with their overall performance. Arbeloa is also less experienced. Madrid will not win if Arbeloa can't devise a descent strategy against a clever coach like Mourinho. Madrid have a lot of star players in their squad, very strong squad, but they still need a stable match strategy if they want to beat Benfica. Don't forget Benfica's manager is "MOURINHO".

[Asiska02]

The coaches of big teams like Real Madrid, Barcelona are under a lot of pressure compared to other teams. Because if small teams lose, there is not much criticism. But if big teams like Real Madrid or Barcelona lose, there is a lot of criticism and everyone starts blaming the coaches. Currently, Real Madrid's position is not that good and before that, a coach was appointed, he was replaced and this coach was appointed again. After this coach was appointed, there was some improvement but now they are performing as before.

Was there really some improvement after this new coach was appointed, I doubt about that and I haven’t seen them perform optimally than before. We have seen how the new coach of Manchester United has improved drastically in performance and has also put Manchester United on the edge of the premier league, unlike Real Madrid whom still maintain their second position on the table and not looking to be a threat to Barcelona. Although, when it comes to the champions league competition, Real Madrid always stand an edge against many teams irrespective of their performance in the La Liga. I doubt if this new coach will be retained if Real Madrid doesn’t make it to the next round of the Champions League.

[Iranus]

No, you can't confirm such a sentence now, Real Madrid can still turn things around, even though they lost before but now it's different, Real Madrid must be more serious about facing Benfica, from the 2 legs they will face they should be able to beat Benfica, Arbeloa has faced Benfica before, if he loses again then he should be blamed because in terms of the squad I think Real Madrid is much better than the players Benfica has.

Madrid will be the favourites against benfica. They are a strong team and experienced. But the main problem is manager arbeloa. He has very little experience. And he has not yet been  able to bring stability to madrid's performance. Although they have won in la liga, we have not seen Madrid dominating. In  this situation, it will be difficult for Arbeloa to win against mourinho's squad. Arbeloa will first have to identify the  weaknesses of Mourinho's match strategy and then develop his own  match strategy. If arbeloa does not change his strategy, it will be really difficult for Madrid to perform well against benfica.

[X-ray]

Probably there are still people who think Benfica will even win at home in the first leg. Or get a draw at least. I wouldn't come to such conclusion just because Real Madrid lost to them in league phase.

I expect some good improvement by Real Madrid defense this time. I hope to see it at least. Maybe they have an inexperienced manager like Arbeloa. However we are still talking about Real Madrid. Benfica shouldn't be a team to make big difficulties for them in this stage.

So do you forget Benfica has special one in their squad? It's obviously going to be a hard game for Madrid. I won't be surprised if Special one will deploy everyone at their pen box, then put counter attack as a way to beat Madrid.

Beisde that i also see no improvement from Madrid against Valencia. Madrid was struggled to beat Valencia. Their gameplay is still ugly as ever. They still rely upon individual brilliance and nothing change so far.

That's why i'm thinking Benfica to win 1st leg.

[bitzizzix]

No, you can't confirm such a sentence now, Real Madrid can still turn things around, even though they lost before but now it's different, Real Madrid must be more serious about facing Benfica, from the 2 legs they will face they should be able to beat Benfica, Arbeloa has faced Benfica before, if he loses again then he should be blamed because in terms of the squad I think Real Madrid is much better than the players Benfica has.

Madrid will be the favourites against benfica. They are a strong team and experienced. But the main problem is manager arbeloa. He has very little experience. And he has not yet been  able to bring stability to madrid's performance. Although they have won in la liga, we have not seen Madrid dominating. In  this situation, it will be difficult for Arbeloa to win against mourinho's squad. Arbeloa will first have to identify the  weaknesses of Mourinho's match strategy and then develop his own  match strategy. If arbeloa does not change his strategy, it will be really difficult for Madrid to perform well against benfica.

Whoever Real Madrid faces, they will always be the favorites because they are a big team that needs a renowned and experienced coach to balance their inconsistencies. And I'm not saying Arbeloa isn't a great and experienced coach, because whoever coaches them, it won't be easy to quickly restore a big team to its best form. But at least an experienced coach with a wealth of experience can turn things around more quickly than a coach I don't consider popular.
Benfica is a strong team, and under the guidance of a highly experienced coach like Mourinho, it will be a challenge and hard work for Arbeloa to beat Benfica, who have a deadly counterattack. We'll see how it turns out, because I think Real Madrid will suffer another defeat, perhaps by a narrow score, or a draw is also possible.

[giorgione]

Yes, to break a record requires great support from the team, coaches and all elements of football, what happened to Messi we can see him where he was seen as a special player with very good abilities then the team as a whole focused on support for Messi which ultimately made Messi perform brilliantly, he got more attention from everyone, besides he was also great he was also given many opportunities by his teammates, just like in his time, Ronaldo was also like that at Real Madrid, from penalty kicks, freekicks, he always became the executor and was free to make decisions whether to make a pass for his friend or shoot directly at the goal, this proves special treatment if you want to set a record, and it also needs to be given to the players now if you want to be like that.

when there were these players in the team, a team was built around these players who all played for him, so it is normal that a team of phenomena was created because to keep up with players like Messi and Ronaldo you also have to be a visionary who plays with them and so we saw the birth of incredible talents like those who played for Real or Barcelona

[Jewan420]

Whoever Real Madrid faces, they will always be the favorites because they are a big team that needs a renowned and experienced coach to balance their inconsistencies. And I'm not saying Arbeloa isn't a great and experienced coach, because whoever coaches them, it won't be easy to quickly restore a big team to its best form. But at least an experienced coach with a wealth of experience can turn things around more quickly than a coach I don't consider popular.
Benfica is a strong team, and under the guidance of a highly experienced coach like Mourinho, it will be a challenge and hard work for Arbeloa to beat Benfica, who have a deadly counterattack. We'll see how it turns out, because I think Real Madrid will suffer another defeat, perhaps by a narrow score, or a draw is also possible.

Benfica vs Real Madrid match will be coach vs coach. Both teams are very strong and favourites to win. Real Madrid has some problems in their attack line but Real Madrid is strong in terms of team strength. But their inexperienced manager was helpless against Benfica's experienced manager Mourinho in the last match. Mourinho now knows how he has to face Arbeloa and how to get the maximum output. On the other hand Arbeloa will have to study deeply to fight against Mourinho.