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.<\/p>\n
The Portuguese side once again lost out to Sporting last season\u2014both 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\u2019ve 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.<\/p>\n
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\u2014and did so, thanks to Trubin joining the attack for a set-piece in the 98th minute!<\/p>\n
Mbapp\u00e9 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.<\/p>\n
Benfica vs Real Madrid: Key Stats and Trends
\nBenfica have won three of their last four matches
\nThe club averages 1.25 goals scored and 1 conceded per match
\nReal Madrid have lost three of their last five games
\nThe team averages 2.63 goals scored and 1.50 conceded per match
\nBenfica vs Real Madrid: Probable Starting Lineups
\nBenfica (probable lineup): Trubin \u2013 Daal, Otamendi, Tom\u00e1s Ara\u00fajo, Dedi\u0107 \u2013 Eursnes, Barreiros, Skjellerup, Sudakov, Prestianni \u2013 Pavlidis<\/p>\n
Real Madrid (probable lineup): Courtois \u2013 \u00c1lvaro Carreras, Heisen, Alaba, Valverde \u2013 Bellingham, Tchouam\u00e9ni, G\u00fcler \u2013 Vin\u00edcius J\u00fanior, Mbapp\u00e9, Mastantuono<\/p>\n
Previous Matches: Benfica vs Real Madrid
\nThe clubs met for the first time in the Champions League just this January.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"