Benfica-Real Madrid: aiming for a win in the first leg of the Champions League playoff
Arbeloa's team visits Lisbon aiming to achieve a good result and secure qualification next week at the Bernabéu (9:00 pm CEST; Orange TV and Movistar Liga de Campeones).
Real Madrid and Benfica face off once again in this edition of the Champions League. This time, they compete for a spot in the round of 16 in a two-legged tie (9:00 pm CEST; Orange TV and Movistar Liga de Campeones). The venue for the first leg will once again be the scene of the Décima: the Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica (da Luz).
Our team comes into this playoff after finishing the previous phase in ninth place, with a record of five wins and three losses. The madridistas will aim to take an advantage away from home to then secure their qualification to the next round at the Bernabéu. The second leg will take place next Wednesday at 9:00 pm CEST.
“We are focused on bringing out the best in ourselves,” declared Arbeloa in the pre-match press conference ahead of the tie. The coach, who has named these players in the squad, will count on Mbappé, the competition's top scorer with 13 goals, for this match. Camavinga also appeared before the media, stating: “We have to attack and defend together.”
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Benfica
Meanwhile, the team led by José Mourinho finished the previous phase in 24th place after earning 9 points with three wins and five losses. Domestically, Benfica is in third position after an away victory against Santa Clara in the last matchday. Their standout player is Vangelis Pavlidis, who has scored 28 goals across all competitions so far this season.
Disclaimer: Translation generated by artificial intelligence. It may contain inaccuracies.