Real Madrid faces Mourinho’s Benfica in the first match of the Champions League round of 32. Benfica was precisely the team in the top eight when they beat them 4-2 in the last match of the group, thus forcing them to play the playoff while the Portuguese qualified in stoppage time with a goal from their goalkeeper. Arbeloa’s men have the obligation to greatly improve their previous match at the Estadio da Luz, where they were vastly surpassed in terms of intensity and play. Mourinho, for his part, seeks to make a splash again against his former team, which he coached for three years (2010-2013).
