Benfica vs Real Madrid Match Overview – 28.01.2026

Benfica hosts Real Madrid at the Estadio da Luz in Lisboa in a clash from the 8th round of the Champions League’s league stage. Benfica’s manager Jose Mourinho will face one of his former clubs. Can he hurt the mighty Los Blancos? We shall see. Let’s preview this clash in our Expert soccer betting predictions and tips.

Benfica are not in the best position to reach the playoffs, but they still have a chance. The Portuguese giants are 29th in the standings with 6 points. They need to beat Real Madrid and hope to have some luck in order to finish in Top 24.

Real Madrid are far more comfortable at the moment. Alvaro Arbeloa’s team is third in the standings with 15 points. They already qualified for the 1/8-finals.

Benfica News & Analysis

For Benfica this was not the best Champions League campaign. Los Aguias lost five of their seven matches in the tournament, and that’s too much. Even the arrival of Mourinho didn’t bring the consistency they were hoping for.

In their last match Los Aguias suffered a 5th defeat in the competition. Benfica faced Juventus at the Allianz Stadium in Turin, but conceded a 0-2 defeat on Italian soil. This could make Mourinho make some changes in the line-up against Real Madrid. The Argentine midfielder Enzo Barrenechea is the logical solution for strengthening the midfield.

In attack Benfica will rely on the Greek goal machine Vangelis Pavlidis. He’s once again on fire this season with 24 goals in 35 matches in all competitions.

Real Madrid News & Analysis

Real Madrid are adapting to their new life without Xabi Alonso. The Basque manager was sacked after the Supercup defeat against Barcelona, being replaced by Alvaro Arbeloa – a coach who will face his former manager Jose Mourinho on Wednesday.

Arbeloa’s Real Madrid showed its spirit in their last Champions League game against AS Monaco at the Bernabeu. Los Blancos achieved a spectacular 6-1 win against the Ligue 1 side. Kylian Mbappe put a brace on his name while Franco Mastantuono, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham scored as well.

Arbeloa has some problems with injured players at the moment. Eder Militao, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ferland Mendy and Antonio Rudiger are all absent in defence.

Benfica vs Real Madrid Betting Predictions

Real Madrid will travel to Lisboa as favourites to secure the three points against Benfica. Alvaro Arbeloa’s team is showing good form lately, and that’s the important thing.

Real Madrid to Win;

Head-to-Head Matches

Maybe some people would find it surprising, but Benfica have better head-to-head stats against Real Madrid – two wins in three games, including in a Champions League final.

Betting Verdict

Benfica’s struggles in the Champions League make Real Madrid a favourite to claim the win here. Let’s see if Alvaro Arbeloa will prevail over his former mentor Jose Mourinho at the Estadio da Luz in Lisboa. Thank you for being with us and our Expert soccer betting predictions and tips.