UCL Play-off: Mourinho Wary of Wounded Real Madrid

Benfica manager Jose Mourinho has warned his players to brace for a dangerous Real Madrid side when the two teams meet in their UEFA Champions League playoff first leg in Lisbon on Tuesday.

The tie at the Estadio da Luz brings Benfica up against a Madrid team Mourinho described as “wounded,” with the Spanish giants arriving in Portugal eager to respond after suffering a bruising defeat to the same opponents during last month’s league phase.

Benfica stunned Real 4-2 in that dramatic encounter, a result that played a major role in denying Madrid automatic qualification for the last 16. The match ended in extraordinary fashion, with Benfica leading 3-2 but still facing elimination before goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin pushed forward for a late free kick and headed in a 98th-minute equaliser.

The goal proved decisive, sending Benfica through to the playoff round on goal difference and leaving Madrid to settle for a more complicated route in the competition.

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With the two sides now set to meet again, Mourinho believes Real will return to Lisbon motivated by pride and determined to deliver a strong response.

“If beating Real once is difficult, imagine beating them twice or three times, which is probably what we will have to do. A big team that loses and is wounded is dangerous,” Moutinho told a press conference on Monday (Reuters).

“I know that feeling very well because it is something I have always known as I have been fortunate enough to only coach big teams throughout my career. Real Madrid’s motivation is not to eliminate Benfica but to win the Champions League. For our part, it is to win and to know very well what we did to win the last game.”

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