Real Madrid have set a date with Benfica in the Champions League playoff round, as we take a look at how the two teams could change the script in their upcoming two-legged affair.
Real Madrid and Benfica will meet again in February’s Champions League knockout phase play-offs, a tie that feels like it has arrived early but makes complete sense when you look at how chaotic this league phase has been.
In the new 36-team table, finishing in the top eight is the golden ticket straight into the round of 16, while the teams placed 9th to 24th are forced into a two-legged detour. Madrid, astonishingly, are taking that detour despite starting the final matchday sitting as high as third.
Benfica, meanwhile, have squeezed through at the very last moment—ending 24th, on goal difference, after spending much of the campaign chasing the pack.
That contrast sets the tone for what’s coming next. Madrid have still done plenty right across eight games to collect 15 points, yet one bad night in Lisbon pushed them down to ninth and out of the automatic places.
Benfica have had to live on the edge: they were beaten in their first four league-phase matches, then recovered to win three of their final four just to stay alive. Now it’s two legs, two different stadiums, and a storyline that already has a sting
Lisbon, and fallout
Earlier this week, Benfica beat Real Madrid 4–2 in Lisbon, a result that booked Mourinho’s side a spot in the top 24 while simultaneously damaging Madrid’s hopes of a top-eight finish.
Kylian Mbappé scored twice for Madrid, but the night turned frantic late on: Raúl Asencio and Rodrygo were sent off, and Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin scored a stoppage-time header (98th minute) to seal a truly surreal winner. That swing pushed Benfica into 24th place and dropped Madrid to ninth—one spot outside the automatic round-of-16 places.
For Madrid, it also deepens an unfamiliar pattern in this new format: they’ve finished outside the top eight in consecutive Champions League league phases, having ended 11th last season and ninth this season. The reward (or punishment) is a quick rematch in the knockout play-off round, played across two legs in February, with seeded teams hosting the second leg—meaning Madrid get the return match at home.
How Benfica can do it again
Benfica’s best path is to make this tie uncomfortable early, because Madrid will expect to “correct” the story once they reach the Bernabéu. The first leg has to be played at a tempo that forces Madrid’s back line to defend facing their own goal: quick switches, runners attacking the space outside the full-backs, and a willingness to shoot when the moment opens up.
They also need to treat game management as a weapon. Slow the game when Madrid build momentum, speed it up when Madrid look stretched, and—crucially—keep 11 players on the pitch so the tie doesn’t turn into a chaos contest Madrid can usually win.
Mourinho’s Champions League know-how can show in the ugly details: set-piece routines, targeted pressing triggers, and picking moments to turn the match into a series of small battles rather than a flowing exhibition.
How Madrid can flip it
Madrid’s clearest fix is discipline and control. The 4–2 loss was shaped by late red cards and a match state that became wild; over two legs, Madrid should aim to keep the game predictable for as long as possible, then let their talent decide it.
That means cleaner rest-defence behind attacks, fewer risky turnovers in central areas, and a more patient approach if Benfica set traps in midfield.
In the attacking third, Madrid can win this tie by making Benfica defend deeper than they want to. If they pin Benfica back, they reduce the transitions that Mourinho will try to engineer, and they can turn the tie into sustained pressure—crosses to the far post, cutbacks, and second balls around the box.
The other key is treating the first leg as a platform, not a final: Madrid don’t need to “win it all” away from home, they just need a scoreline that keeps the second leg in their hands.
Conclusion
If either side reaches the round of 16, they will join the eight clubs already qualified directly from the league phase—Arsenal, Barcelona, Bayern München, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Sporting CP and Tottenham—with the play-off winners unseeded in that next draw. That’s the bigger prize, but first they have to survive a tie that already has emotional residue from Lisbon’s late madness.
Over two legs, Madrid still feel like the safer bet because they’re seeded for the play-offs and have the second leg at home, which matters when momentum swings. Benfica’s chance is real, though, because they’ve already proved they can hurt Madrid when the game breaks into moments—and Mourinho will happily design a tie where “moments” are all that exist.
Expect Benfica to throw everything into the first leg to build belief, and expect Madrid to respond with a calmer, more controlled second act. The margins will be discipline, set pieces, and whether Benfica can arrive in Madrid with something to protect.
