Jose Mourinho’s Benfica side travel to play Real Madrid at the Bernabeu with their Champions League hopes hanging by a thread.
The Portuguese giants lost 1-0 at home in last week’s play-off first leg thanks to a fabulous goal from Vinicius Junior.
Can Benfica muster a response in Madrid and stay in club football’s biggest competition? All questions will be answered tomorrow evening.
But first, check out our match preview, and we have picked out some online betting tips based on the latest Champions League odds.
And we also have a Champions League Bet Builder Offer running this week. Place a qualifying £10 BB on the match of your choice and earn a £5 Free Bet.
Where can I watch Real Madrid vs Benfica in the UK?
Real Madrid vs Benfica will be broadcast live on TNT Sports 1, with kick-off scheduled for 8pm UK time.
Real Madrid vs Benfica Preview
Recent results
Last week’s first leg was marred by an incident in which Vinicius accused Gianluca Prestianni of racially abusing him after his goal, prompting a 10-minute stoppage and an ongoing UEFA investigation. We can only hope that this fixture is played in the correct manner, though pre-match tension levels are understandably high.
Real Madrid lost 2-1 at Osasuna on the weekend, a result which ended an eight-match winning run in La Liga and saw them surrender top spot to Barcelona. Los Blancos’ previous home Champions League match saw them thrash AS Monaco 6-1.
Benfica got back to winning ways on the weekend with a comfortable 3-0 home success over AVS, and Mourinho’s side are still yet to lose in the league. However, the last away fixture in this competition saw the Eagles lose 2-0 at Juventus.
Head-to-head record
The first leg was only the second time the clubs had met in the Champions League era. The previous encounter was just a few weeks before on Matchday 8 of the League Phase, when Benfica won 4-2 thanks to the now famous stoppage-time goal from goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin.
Team news
Rodrygo Goes is still suspended for Real Madrid, while Jude Bellingham, Eder Militao and Dani Ceballos are out with various fitness issues. Raul Asencio is back available after a one-match ban, but fellow defender Dean Huijsen is a major doubt following his absence in the defeat at Osasuna, which could be a signifcant blow for Alvaro Arbeloa.
Prestianni has been suspended by UEFA amid the ongoing investigation, so he is unavailable here. Joao Veloso is the only injury absentee for Mourinho, with key midfielder Richard Rios likely to be included from the start.
Real Madrid vs Benfica Odds
*All odds are subject to change
Real Madrid are huge favourites to claim the win here, priced as low as 1.43. A Benfica victory is at odds of 6.40, while the draw is 4.80.
Real Madrid vs Benfica Betting Tips
Both teams to score – No @ 2.21
Benfica’s attack looked toothless last week, and we just cannot see that changing at the Bernabeu. The Portuguese side have also failed to score in two of their last three away matches, the aforementioned 2-0 loss at Juventus and a 0-0 draw with Tondela.
Player will score and his team will win – Vinicius Junior @ 2.75
Vinicius’ goal in the first leg was an absolute stunner, and he followed it up with a strike at Osasuna, albeit in a defeat. The Brazilian seems to be finding form under Arbeloa’s guidance, so we are backing him to land another decisive blow in a vital win for Los Blancos. Vinicius has scored in five successive matches, in case you were wondering!
First goalscorer double chance – Vinicius Junior OR Kylian Mbappe @ 2.50
And as we are backing Real to win without Benfica scoring, this market really catches the eye. Operating as a front two in Arbeola’s system, Vinicius and Mbappe are a handful for any defence, with the latter already scoring 38 goals this season – 13 of them in the Champions League. Either Vinicius or Mbappe opened the scoring in each of Los Blancos’ last three European contests.
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