Real Madrid take on Benfica in the first leg of their Champions League play-off this evening.
Los Blancos did not make the top eight in the league phase of Europe’s premier competition, finishing ninth in the table.
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They were dealt a dramatic 4-2 defeat by Jose Mourinho’s side at the Estadio da Luz in their final game of the group stage, with goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin’s late winner denying the La Liga outfit an automatic place in the last 16.
As such, Alvaro Arbeloa’s men will have to do it the hard way, and overcome a team still smarting from that earlier victory.
Since that defeat, Madrid returned to winning ways in the league, piecing three straight victories together to move top of the Spanish top flight.
Benfica, meanwhile, are undefeated since their 2-0 loss at Juventus back in January.
That is a run of five consecutive games without defeat, and they will be looking to make it six on Tuesday against a “wounded” Madrid, in Mourinho’s words.
For the 15-time winners of the competition, they are without a few key names.
Jude Bellingham is sidelined with a hamstring injury, while Eder Militao is out long term. Rodrygo is suffering with tendonitis.
How to watch Benfica vs Real Madrid
TV channel and live stream: In the UK, the game will be televised live on Amazon Prime Video, with coverage starting at 7pm GMT.
Live blog: You can follow all the action on matchday via Standard Sport’s live blog.
