Real Madrid v Benfica

Real Madrid won 1-0 in Portugal and will look to seal the qualification with minimum fuss in Madrid. Can Benfica and Mourinho cause an upset?

Real Madrid v Benfica Bernabeu 21:00 CET

Team News:

Madrid are without Huijsen, Bellingham, Rodrygo, Militao and Ceballos.

Benfica have chief provocateur Gianluca Prestianni banned for this tie. Coach Mourinho is banned from the touchlines also due to the same incident.

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Formations:

4-4-2 for Real Madrid under Arbeloa, has worked well but came apart last game as they lost to Osasuna.

4-2-3-1 for Benfica who in typical Mourinho fashion will try to kill the game and restrict chances.

Statistics:

Referee: Slavo Vincic (SLO) (Average cards 4.19 Yellow 0.10 Red)

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Match Preview:

Real Madrid closed the group stage in 9th place, finishing just one point short of automatic qualification. Their home form was strong, with three wins from four matches. In La Liga, they have slipped to second, now trailing Barcelona by a single point. Their recent defeat to Osasuna — a match in which they were well beaten — halted a run of four consecutive victories.

Benfica ended the group in 24^th and only scraped though thanks to an injury time goal from keeper Trubin. Away form was poor with 1 win and 3 defeats. In Liga Portugal they are 3^rd and are 7 points off leaders Porto. Recent form is good though with 5 wins and 1 draw from the last 7 games with the only blip being the 1-0 loss in the 1^st leg to Madrid.

Betting Preview:

The first leg was dominated by the controversy involving Vini Jr, but on the pitch Madrid were comfortably the stronger side and should have won by more than a single goal. Only Trubin’s outstanding performance in the Benfica goal kept the scoreline close. The return match should bring an intense atmosphere, with both teams expected to go in hard. A high card count feels almost inevitable and looks a strong betting angle.