Real Madrid and Benfica face off in an important UEFA Champions League play-off second leg at the Santiago Bernabéu on Wednesday, with a spot in the last 16 at stake.
Real Madrid holds a slight one-goal advantage entering this match and aims to maintain that lead to advance.
Real Madrid vs Benfica – Match preview and team news
- Date: Wednesday, 25th February.
- Kick-off: 8pm BST.
- Venue: Estadio Bernabeu, Madrid.
Real Madrid team news
Real Madrid will be without several key players for this match. Midfielder Jude Bellingham is sidelined due to a thigh/hamstring injury.
Rodrygo is also out, serving a two-match UEFA suspension following his red card for dissent during the 4-2 defeat to Benfica in the league.
Defensively, the team has limited options, as centre-back Eder Militao is still recovering from a long-term hamstring injury. Midfielder Dani Ceballos is unavailable, and Dean Huijsen is doubtful after missing the recent game against Osasuna.
In addition, Kylian Mbappe is expected to miss this match due to a knee injury; he did not complete training yesterday and is confirmed to be out.
Benfica team news
Benfica arrives in Madrid without young winger Gianluca Prestianni, who is serving a one-match suspension from UEFA due to ongoing investigations related to allegations of racist behavior towards Vinícius Júnior in the first leg. Benfica and the player have denied any wrongdoing, but UEFA has placed a temporary ban.
Midfielder Joao Veloso is absent due to a shoulder injury. Colombian midfielder Richard Rios could start after showing promise since his arrival, contributing energy and ball-winning abilities to the team.
Form
Real Madrid
Real Madrid comes into the second leg after a challenging period juggling the La Liga title race alongside the play-off against Benfica. They recently suffered a defeat against Osasuna in La Liga, allowing Barcelona to take the lead in the standings. They will aim to recover from this loss with a strong home performance against Benfica.
Benfica
Following their loss to Real Madrid in the first leg, Benfica bounced back with a solid 3-0 victory against AVS Cute old SAD in their domestic league.
They have only lost once in their last seven matches across all competitions, with the only defeat being against Real Madrid last week.
Predicted lineups
Real Madrid: Courtois; Alexander-Arnold, Asencio, Rudiger, Carreras; Valverde, Guler, Tchouameni, Camavinga; Garcia, Vinicius
Benfica: Trubin; Dedic, Araujo, Otamendi, Dahl; Rios, Aursnes; Lukebakio, Rafa, Schjelderup; Pavlidis
How to watch Real Madrid vs Benfica?
Viewers in the UK can watch Real Madrid vs Benfica live on TNT Sports 1.
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