UCL: Real Madrid chasing place in last 16 as Benfica target an upset
By Joel Masibo, February 25, 2026After edging the first encounter 0-1 in Portugal, Real Madrid return to home turf on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, to complete the playoff tie against Benfica. The decisive second leg will take place at the Bernabéu, with a ticket to the Champions League round of 16 up for grabs.
Madrid carries a slim but valuable advantage from last week’s clash in Lisbon, where they secured a narrow away victory. Backed by their supporters, they will be aiming to finish the job and book their spot in Friday’s draw. The winners of this contest will meet either Manchester City or Sporting Lisbon in the next phase.
The Spanish giants come into the encounter full of confidence, having won six straight matches at home, scoring 21 goals and conceding just four. Their impressive form at the Bernabéu has built strong belief among the fans, who are hoping for another memorable European evening. On the other hand, Jose Mourinho will be guiding the Portugal outfit as he seeks to overturn the first-leg deficit and stage an upset against his former club.
Speaking ahead of the match, head coach Álvaro Arbeloa said: “We’re really looking forward to a great Champions League night at the Bernabéu.” Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who has been named in the squad, echoed that optimism, stressing the importance of focus from the first whistle: “We have to start the match well, play with focus and the right attitude.”
Benfica’s form
Benfica, however, arrive in Madrid in strong shape. They warmed up for this tie by recording a convincing league win over AVS and have suffered just one defeat in their last seven outings, that coming in the first leg against Real Madrid. Their recent run includes five victories and a draw, underlining their threat. Greek striker Pavlidis leads their scoring charts with 28 goals this season.
This is the sixth meeting between Real Madrid and Benfica in the European Cup/Champions League, although Madrid won the first leg of this tie, Benfica are one of two sides they have faced 5+ times in the competition and lost more games (3) than they’ve won (2), along with Milan (P16 W6 D3 L7).
Real Madrid and Benfica will meet in the UEFA Champions League for a third consecutive game (MD8 of the group phase, first/second leg of the play-offs). It’s the first fixture in Champions League history to be played three times in a row in the same season.
Benfica have progressed through just one of their eight previous knockout ties in major European competition when losing the first leg at home – they lost 1-0 to Dinamo Bucuresti in the 1999-00 UEFA Cup first round, before winning 2-0 away from home to advance to the next round.
With qualification hanging in the balance, all signs point to a fiercely contested showdown under the lights in Madrid.