Benfica and Real Madrid met for the first time in the Champions League just this January

In the Champions League Round of 16 on February 17, 2026, Benfica will face Real Madrid. This encounter will be a highlight of the final round of the group stage.

The Portuguese side once again lost out to Sporting last season—both in the Cup and in the Primeira Liga. After the summer break, they started well, even beating their neighbor to win the Super Cup. However, a string of poor results in early autumn led to a coaching change. Things only got worse under Mourinho. In the Primeira, they’ve already fallen ten points behind Porto, the current leader, and have been knocked out of the cups. Meanwhile, the Spanish giants failed to win any trophies in 2025, and Xabi Alonso was dismissed in January after losing the Supercopa to Barcelona, who were also ahead in La Liga. Arbeloa debuted with a defeat in the Copa del Rey.

The Lisbon club qualified by overcoming Nice and Fenerbahce, but changed their coach after a lackluster loss to Qarabag. Even under Mourinho, they then lost three times. Nevertheless, victories over Ajax and Napoli kept their play-off hopes alive. But after a 0-2 defeat to Juventus in January, they needed to beat Real by two goals—and did so, thanks to Trubin joining the attack for a set-piece in the 98th minute!

Mbappé and company started powerfully in the tournament, winning three straight. But problems soon surfaced, and the team began to alternate wins and losses. Under Arbeloa, they finished the group stage with a 2-4 loss, ending the match with just nine men on the field.

Benfica vs Real Madrid: Key Stats and Trends
Benfica have won three of their last four matches
The club averages 1.25 goals scored and 1 conceded per match
Real Madrid have lost three of their last five games
The team averages 2.63 goals scored and 1.50 conceded per match
Benfica vs Real Madrid: Probable Starting Lineups
Benfica (probable lineup): Trubin – Daal, Otamendi, Tomás Araújo, Dedić – Eursnes, Barreiros, Skjellerup, Sudakov, Prestianni – Pavlidis

Real Madrid (probable lineup): Courtois – Álvaro Carreras, Heisen, Alaba, Valverde – Bellingham, Tchouaméni, Güler – Vinícius Júnior, Mbappé, Mastantuono

Previous Matches: Benfica vs Real Madrid
The clubs met for the first time in the Champions League just this January.