Last week saw Real Madrid reunite with their good old friend Jose Mourinho, as they bested his current team, Benfica, 1-0. It was the first leg of their UEFA Champions League Playoff tie, staged in Portugal, with the home tie in Madrid now coming up on Wednesday night.
Mourinho wins some silverware everywhere he goes, and he did so at Madrid, as well, during the early 2010s. But now Los Blancos have him and his side on the brink of elimination from the UCL.
Champions League Playoff Leg 2 of 2
Real Madrid vs Benfica
Tie aggregate: Real Madrid leads 1-0
Kickoff: 8pm Wed. Feb. 25, Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain
Real Madrid Preview Material: Team News Injury Updates
Win Probability (90 Minutes): Real Madrid 66% Draw 19% Benfica 15%
For Madrid though, having to play in this round has to feel like a bit of a failure. No club has won the European Cup/UCL as many times as they have, so the fact that they have to first go through this playoff round, in order to reach the knockout round, is disappointing for sure.
Real Madrid Team News, Injury List
Rodrygo is getting close to full fitness now, as he continues making good progress on his recovery from a hamstring injury.
Even if he is 100% fit by Wednesday night, however, he’s still suspended for both legs of this UCL tie.
Jude Bellingham is also dealing with a hamstring injury, and his return should come sometime around the March internationals. Éder Militão also remains sidelined.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, RG.org and Ratings.org. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.