Real Madrid to play Benfica in Champions League
With Kylian Mbappe back, Real Madrid returns to Portugal looking for some payback against Jose Mourinho’s Benfica in the Champions League.
Three weeks after Mourinho’s team stunned his former club in a 4-2 win that allowed Benfica to qualify and kept the Spanish giant from automatically reaching the round of 16, the teams meet again on Tuesday at the Stadium of Light in the first round of the knockout stage.
“Benfica did not surprise me last time at all because I know what all of Jose Mourinho’s teams are like,” Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa said. “It’s a new match, nothing like the one three weeks ago. We’ve analysed it and we’re ready. I can’t ask for more from the players than what they have shown so far.” Benfica got the goal it needed to qualify thanks to a last-minute header by goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin against Madrid, allowing it to grab the 24th - and final - spot for the knockout stage on goal difference.
Mourinho said Madrid was “wounded,” and “a wounded king is dangerous.”“We will play the first leg with our heads, with ambition and confidence. We know what we did to the kings of the Champions League,” he said.
The coach acknowledged that Madrid remained heavily favoured and it would take a near-perfect series for Benfica to advance. “I don’t think it takes a miracle for Benfica to eliminate Real Madrid,” he added. “I think we need to be at our highest level. I don’t even say high, I mean maximum, almost bordering on perfection, which does not exist. But not a miracle.”
Arbeloa praised his former coach and said beating Benfica wouldn’t be about revenge. “They have an incredible leader, and that’s their coach,” Arbeloa said. “Our goal isn’t to take revenge on Benfica, our goal is to win the Champions League, and beating Benfica is a step in that direction.” The rematch highlights a knockout round that also includes defending champion Paris Saint-Germain against Monaco and Inter Milan, last year’s runner-up, facing Norwegian outsider Bodø/Glimt..
Mbappe returns: Mbappe, who already has 38 goals for Madrid this season, will be available after he missed the Spanish league match against Real Sociedad at the weekend because of a knee issue.He has nine goals in his last six matches with Madrid, including both goals in the loss to Benfica.
“He is doing very well,” Arbeloa said. “He has been dealing with these minor knee issues for quite some time this season. He is making a great effort every time he steps onto the field and we have decided not to take risks so that he will be ready to start the match on Tuesday.”Lackluster PSG: PSG dropped out of the top eight that automatically qualified for the last 16 after a 1-1 home draw against Newcastle in the last round of the league phase. PSG fell to 11th place.
On Friday, it lost at Rennes 3-1 in the French league for its third defeat of the year — and sixth this season.Monaco, which finished 21st in the league phase, beat Nantes 3-1 on Friday, but before that it had won only once in its last seven matches across all tournaments.Inter boosted: Inter heads to its match on Wednesday after six straight victories, including Saturday’s last-minute 3-2 triumph over Juventus, a result that increased its Serie A lead.Inter won its first four games in the league phase but then lost three in a row before finishing off with an away victory at Borussia Dortmund that secured it 10th place.Bodø/Glimt, in its first Champions League campaign, needed back-to-back upset wins against Manchester City and Atletico Madrid to make it to the knockout round in 23rd place.
Other matchups: The other first legs on Tuesday include Juventus visiting Galatasaray and Dortmund hosting Atalanta.On Wednesday, Newcastle is at Qarabag, Olympiakos hosts Bayer Leverkusen and Atletico visits Club Brugge.
