Sid Lowe was our man at the Santiago Bernabéu. Here’s his verdict. Thanks for reading this MBM-Clockwatch hybrid!
Well that was quite the evening of excitement in the end. All of the ties delivering drama. Typical that the main MBM attraction was the one that had the least of it, but you can’t have everything.
Atalanta 4-1 Borussia Dortmund (agg 4-3)
Juventus 3-2 Galatasaray; aet, 3-0 ft (agg 5-7)
Paris Saint-Germain 2-2 Monaco (agg 5-4)
Real Madrid 2-1 Benfica (agg 3-1)
FULL TIME: Juventus 3-2 Galatasaray (agg 5-7)
Galatasaray go through to face either Liverpool or Tottenham Hotspur in the last 16. The ten men of Juventus did so well to drag this tie all the way to extra time, but their legs failed them over the final furlongs. All the real damage done in the first leg. Atalanta are the sole remaining Serie A representatives.
ET 30 min: There will be one additional minute. But it’s too late for Juve now. So close to a comeback for the ages, but so far.
GOAL! Juventus 3-2 Galatasaray (Yılmaz 119): agg 5-7
Singo strides out from the back. He slips a pass down the middle for either Osimhen or Yılmaz. It’s the latter who gets there first, just in time, and dinks past Perin to seal the deal!
Updated
ET 28 min: Gundogan is showcasing all of his experience here. Keeping possession, waiting for an opportunity. And so …
ET 27 min: Gundogan draws a foul from Openda and eats up some more clock.
ET 26 min: McKennie has the opportunity to send one of his long throws into the Gala mixer. He opts to take it short. Poor decision. Gala clear their lines.
ET 25 min: Boga takes an overly ambitious strike at goal from 30 yards. It sails roughly the same distance high and wide.
ET 23 min: That fantastico Juan Cabal fiasco last week suddenly looks even more costly than it did back then. An ill-fated 21-minute spin in the square-wheeled car.
ET 21 min: No equaliser for Juve there, but they’ve served notice that this tie isn’t over yet.
ET 20 min: Openda’s first act is to win a corner down the left. But the set piece is cleared by … of all players … Osimhen. However Juve come again, Zhegrova cutting in from the right and trying to force home from a tight angle. Cakir sticks out a strong arm to make an excellent reaction save. The rebound falls to Kostic, who snatches at his shot and sends it wide right.
ET 19 min: Juve get those dice rolling. Locatelli and a hamstrung Kalulu make way for Kostić and Openda.
ET 17 min: Osimhen juggles the ball with his head on the edge of the Juve D, before teeing up Eren Elmalı to his left. Elmalı takes a wild swipe and clears the bar in the rugby-union style.
The second half of extra time starts. Can the 11 men of Gala see this out? Juve did so much to get back into this tie. They’ll have to go again.
EXTRA TIME, HALF TIME: Juventus 3-1 Galatasaray (agg 5-6)
What an end to the half. The Juventus Stadium falls silent. One small set of travelling fans apart.
Updated
GOAL! Juventus 3-1 Galatasaray (Osimhen 105+1): agg 5-6
… Locatelli plays a poor ball out from the back. It’s intercepted. Barış Alper Yılmaz slips a pass down the inside-left channel. Osimhen takes a touch to pull himself into space, and slots through Perin’s legs and into the centre of the goal!
Updated
ET 15 min: … but there will be two additional minutes. Suddenly, Gala launch a five on three counter. Gundogan picks the wrong pass as he looks for Osimhen out right. But no matter, because …
ET 14 min: Pierre Kalulu is skittled over and requires a spot of treatment. Probably needs to catch his breath. Juve could do with hearing the half-time whistle.
ET 12 min: Galatasaray are seeing much more of the ball, as you’d expect for the 11 men. Leroy Sané crosses long from the right. Any touch from Eren Elmalı, bombing in from the other flank, and he’s bundling home from close range. But Elmalı misses contact, and ends up in the net himself. So close.
ET 10 min: Galatasaray midfielder Lucas Torreira has a blast from 30 yards. The ball swerves in the air, but Mattia Perin stays behind it and gathers. The tension at the Juventus Stadium could be sliced, cubed and bagged.
Now then, what happened in the other two late kick-offs? Let’s not hang about.
Juventus 3-0 Galatasaray (agg 5-5)
Paris Saint-Germain 2-2 Monaco (agg 5-4)
Juve have forced extra time in Turin, despite being reduced to ten men when Lloyd Kelly was shown a second yellow, upgraded to a straight red, for landing feet-first on Baris Yilmaz. Federico Gatti reduced the aggregate arrears to a single goal on 70 minutes, before Weston McKennie levelled it all up on 82. Meanwhile in Paris, two yellows in three minutes for Mamadou Coulibaly saw Monaco go down to ten. Marquinhos and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored on 60 and 66 minutes, and though Jordan Teze nicked one back for Monaco, the reigning champions survived by the skin of their teeth.
And in all conscience, I can’t leave this Juve-Gala tie hanging. Edon Zhegrova has just missed an absolute sitter for the hosts, midway through the first half of extra time. Let’s dip in!
Updated
FULL TIME: Real Madrid 2-1 Benfica (agg 3-1)
Real Madrid will play either Manchester City or Sporting Club of Lisbon in the last 16. Benfica meanwhile will always have that Anatoliy Trubin header on matchday eight of the league phase. Fitting that Vinícius Júnior dealt the final blow, given all that’s gone before.
90 min +7: Another late, late Anatoliy Trubin walkabout header … but this one is a defensive clearance, as the keeper races miles from his box to stop Vinicius Junior latching onto a long pass.
90 min +6: Palacios is booked for hauling back Rios.
90 min +5: Alexander-Arnold swings in a corner from the right. He hits it long. Tchouaméni wins a header, but only succeeds in slapping it into the back of Alaba.
90 min +4: Real stroke it around, running down what’s left of the clock.
90 min +2: Another Real sub: Fran Garcia comes on for Carreras. Benfica also make a swap, Lopes Cabral replacing Barreiro.
90 min: Carreras has a swipe for goal while running at full pelt down the inside left. Miles wide right. There will be nine additional minutes.
88 min: Benfica have run out of steam, and are quickly running out of road. They’ve been spirited tonight, but as bad as Real have been, the home side have had too much quality in the final analysis.
Updated
86 min: Benfica make one last desperate roll of the dice. Aursnes and Schjelderup make way for Barrenechea and Ivanović.
85 min: Otamendi goes over under a high ball in the Real box. Alexander-Arnold had a gentle hold of his shirt, but not enough for a penalty. Not that Otamendi agrees with that analysis, but he’ll have to live with it.
83 min: Nothing comes of the corner. Real then make another double change, replacing Guler and Gonzalo with Palacios and Pitarch.
82 min: Benfica nearly respond immediately, Schjelderup crossing low from the left, Rafa Silva back-flicking towards the bottom right. Just inches wide. In fact it took a little nick. It’ll be a corner.
GOAL! Real Madrid 2-1 Benfica (Vinicius Junior 80); agg 3-1
Real Madrid have done absolutely nothing in this second half … until now! Valverde plays a cute reverse pass down the inside-left channel from the centre circle. Vinicius Junior is free! He races into the box, runs around the ball to make the angle, and whistles a low forensic shot across Trubin and into the bottom right! Then off for a dance with the corner flag. He’s more than earned the right.
Updated
79 min: The game restarts, and it’s Benfica, the more desperate of the two teams, who are up to speed the quickest. Dedic probes down the right. No way through. The away fans still making the most noise.
77 min: Raúl Asencio is carried off by the paramedics. Applause ripples all around the Bernabéu. Here’s to his health and a speedy recovery. He’s one of two Real changes, Camavinga also leaving, presumably also as a precaution following that collision. Alaba and Mastantuono come on in their places.
76 min: Raúl Asencio is carefully loaded onto the stretcher. All of his team-mates gathered around with concerned looks.
75 min: They’re fitting a collar to Raúl Asencio. Hopefully just a precautionary measure, taking no chances. He’ll certainly not be taking any further part in this evening’s match.
73 min: Camavinga is fine, thankfully. Raúl Asencio, not so much. He stays down. Not sure whether he’s hurt his neck or chest, but he’s flat out on his back and there’s a stretcher coming on.
72 min: Raúl Asencio, Camavinga and Rafa Silva contest a high ball. Rafa Silva bails at the last second, leaving the Real pair to clatter into each other in mid-air. That will have hurt. On come the physios.
Updated
71 min: Valverde chases a long ball down the middle. Nearly clear, but not quite. He can’t get the ball under control, allowing Dedic to come across and put him off. Valverde’s eventual shot sails miles wide left.
70 min: Benfica waste the corner against ten-man Madrid, and then Rudiger comes back on.
69 min: Tchouaméni carelessly gives the ball away, 30 yards from his own goal. Pavlidis sends a low drive towards the bottom right. It deflects off Rudiger and wide right of goal, out for a corner. That hit the defender in the chest and winded him. He needs some treatment before the corner, therefore won’t be on the pitch when Real defend it.
67 min: On the touchline, the Real coach Alvaro Arbeloa shakes his head in the performative style. Nobody associated with Madrid happy with what they’re watching tonight. But they’re still on track for the last 16 as things stand.
Updated
66 min: Rudiger tries to release Guler down the right with a raking diagonal … but only finds the stand behind for a goal kick. Now it’s the Real fans whistling in irritation.
64 min: The Benfica fans are making the majority of the noise. Their team are giving as good as they’re getting. Real Madrid don’t look like a side capable of winning No16. But then we’ve said this sort of thing about Real at this stage of the competition before.
62 min: Barreiro clambers on the back of Tchouaméni and is fortunate not to go into the book.
60 min: … and now Vini Jr is robbed 30 yards from his own goal, and Rafa Silva has a crack from distance that takes a deflection off Valverde and skims the crossbar. Nothing comes of the corner. That’s Benfica’s tenth attempt on goal this evening; Real are on nine.
59 min: The Bernabéu is getting a little bit nervous. Benfica are holding their own. They’re still in this, and you can tell by the palpable tension.
57 min: Raúl Asencio slides forcefully through the back of Rafa Silva, who was going nowhere on the halfway line. A no-brainer booking, in more than one sense. Some may argue it was so needlessly aggressive it could have been a red. What was the point?
56 min: Benfica try to play out from the back. Too intricate. They nearly pay the price. Alexander-Arnold, increasingly influential, takes up possession to the right of the D, chops this way then that, and fires a low drive across Trubin and inches wide of the bottom left.
55 min: Schjelderup jinks his way down the left and slips a pass down the channel for Rafa Silva, who prepares to take a shot only for Alexander-Arnold to slide in and take it off his toe. The resulting corner is claimed by Courtois and the danger is over. Real still look way too easy to play through. A more accomplished team than Benfica would have scored more than one goal.
53 min: The resulting free kick is parlayed into a corner, taken from the right by Alexander-Arnold. It’s another fine delivery, and Raúl Asencio heads over from ten yards. He wasn’t under too much pressure, and perhaps should have done better.
51 min: Otamendi is booked for an old-school bodycheck on Vinicius Junior, a challenge he followed by springing up immediately and flipping Tchouaméni into the air. Another referee may have showed him two separate yellow cards for that rush of blood. He couldn’t have legitimately complained.
50 min: Pavlidis romps into space down the left … but isn’t on the same wavelength as Rafa Silva, so there's no passing option open, and Alexander-Arnold’s presence eventually panics him into the loss of ball.
48 min: Alexander-Arnold put that on a plate for Valverde. How Liverpool have missed his cool creativity under pressure this season.
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47 min: Alexander-Arnold finds himself in acres of space on the right-hand side of the Benfica box. Found well by Guler. He rolls an almost perfect cross into the middle … where Valverde takes a fresh-air swipe from six yards. Big chance.
Benfica, trailing 2-1 on aggregate, get the ball rolling for the second half. No changes made by either side.
There are two other Champions League ties going on right now. Here are the half-times …
Juventus 1-0 Galatasaray (agg 3-5)
Paris Saint-Germain 0-1 Monaco (agg 3-3)
… and the holders are in a wee spot of bother. Just before the break at the Parc des Princes, Maghnes Akliouche swept a shot into the bottom-left corner to level the all-French tie on aggregate. Meanwhile in Turin, Manuel Locatelli has given Juventus a modicum of hope from the penalty spot, the kick awarded on 37 minutes when Lucas Torreira took out Khephren Thuram. Meanwhile, as early arrivals to this MBM will already know, Atalanta have seen off Borussia Dortmund in dramatic style, winning 4-1 in Bergamo to record a 4-3 aggregate comeback victory.
Updated
Half-time reading.
HALF TIME: Real Madrid 1-1 Benfica (agg 2-1)
Nothing comes of Alexander-Arnold’s free kick, and the half-time whistle goes. The scoreline seems about right on balance, though the way Benfica flew out of the blocks, they may be a tad disappointed not to have built on their early goal. As things stand, Real will be playing either Manchester City or Sporting of Lisbon in the last 16, but you’d be a brave punter to predict the eventual outcome of this tie with 100 percent confidence.
45 min +2: Before the free kick can be taken, Rios shoves over Raúl Asencio. He wants to watch himself, having already been booked.
45 min +1: Vinicius Jr takes a couple of fingers in the face from Dedic as he races down the left. Free kick. One last first-half chance for Real to take the lead on the evening and extend their advantage in the tie.
45 min: Vini Jr dribbles elegantly down the left and gets past Dedic. He cuts back for Valverde, who takes another whack. This one’s got more oomph behind it, but it’s deflected wide right, and nothing comes of the corner. There will be one additional first-half minute.
44 min: Valverde has a whack from distance, but he half-slips when connecting and all the sting is drawn.
42 min: Guler makes himself a little bit of space to the right of the Benfica D and shoots. The effort’s deflected wide left. Alexander-Arnold comes across to take. A short one, some training-ground triangles, and Guler fires low into the mixer. Benfica manage to hack clear. Real miss the sheer presence of Mbappe, who would surely have been sniffing around to take advantage of that.
40 min: Barreiro steals the ball off Tchouaméni in the centre circle, and suddenly Benfica are three on two! But the whistle goes for a very generous foul. Otamendi uses his captain’s privileges to discuss the matter with the referee, but the whistle’s gone, and that’s that.
39 min: Benfica certainly haven’t given up hope, though. Rios drives through a crowded box towards the bottom left, and Courtois does very well to get down and parry. Then soon after, the ever-dangerous Dedic jigs in from the right and makes space on the edge of the D to shoot … before slipping over. Real not secure at the back at all.
37 min: Dedic stands in yards of space on the right, waiting for a simple Araujo pass. It never comes. Araujo sticks up a hand in apology. A big chance to launch a dangerous attack goes by.
35 min: Rios is booked for catching Tchouaméni’s foot with a late lunge. More mistimed than anything of ill will.
NO GOAL. Real Madrid 1-1 Benfica (agg 2-1)
Yep, Gonzalo was offside when Valverde headed down. The blushes of Trubin and Otamendi, who both hesitated to let Guler steal in, are spared.
33 min: VAR is going to take a check. It’s tight.
GOAL! Real Madrid 2-1 Benfica (Guler 32); agg 3-1
Vinicius Jr dinks a cross in from the left. Valverde heads it back into the centre. Gonzalo can’t connect properly as he sweeps a leg towards the ball. Trubin hesitates, and Guler is on hand to sweep home for close range! But was Gonzalo offside?
Updated
30 min: Dedic has had the run of Benfica’s right flank, and now he wins a corner off Carreras. Schjelderup comes across to take. Tchouaméni eyebrows clear, and just as well, because Rios was steaming in behind him, neck wound back, preparing to head home from six yards.
28 min: Real with more of the sterile domination. Benfica will be pleased the hosts are resorting to this.
26 min: Real Madrid calm things down with some sterile midfield possession. Probably a wise move. Meanwhile here’s Justin Kavanagh: “So much space out there? Basketball game rhythms? Two goals in as many minutes? Hold on, aren’t one of these teams managed by that José Mourinho bloke? What’s going on here, Scott?” Time takes its toll on every man.
24 min: Real may possibly decide that the best form of defence is attack, and with this in mind, Camavinga creams a rising shot goalwards from distance. Easy enough for Trubin. Then another phase, as Vinicius sashays in from the left before driving harder down the middle. He fizzes a low shot towards the bottom right but that’s easy for the keeper. If this ends 1-1 on the night, things will have taken several strange turns.
22 min: Schjelderup races into a daft amount of space down the left. A low cross. Pavlidis tries to back-heel home at the near post. Had he missed the ball, Rafa Silva was tapping home again. But it’s deflected away from danger. Benfica keep on the front foot and Barreiro wins a corner on the right, but nothing comes of that. Real are a shambles at the back.
21 min: That equaliser has settled Real Madrid a little bit. They had been extremely skittish before Tchouaméni slotted so calmly. Now they’re seeing much more of the ball.
19 min: … and to illustrate that, Alexander-Arnold advances down the right and cuts back into a huge pocket of space. However one of the reason there’s so much space is because there’s no Real Madrid player in the box. What a start to this game, though!
18 min: Dedic romps down the right and looks for Rafa Silva in the middle. Camavinga is on hand to put a stop to the basketball rhythms of this game. For now. No way is this ending 1-1. There’s so much space out there.
GOAL! Real Madrid 1-1 Benfica (Tchouameni 16); agg 2-1
Real were all over the shop defensively there. But what a response this is! Valverde makes good ground down the right and cuts back for Tchouameni, who from the edge of the box steers a power-curler into the bottom right!
Updated
GOAL! Real Madrid 0-1 Benfica (Rafa Silva 14); agg 1-1
A simple ball round the corner down the right by Rios, and Pavlidis is released into acres. He crosses low. Raúl Asencio slides in to intercept, with Rafa Silva alone behind him. He diverts the ball towards his own goal. Courtois spares his blushes with a fine reaction save, but the ball rebounds to Rafa Silva, who knees home from a couple of yards.
Updated
12 min: Araújo launches long for Pavlidis, who holds up the ball on the edge of the box, drifts left, then looks for Rios in the middle. The cross is overhit. Goal kick.
11 min: Real Madrid pass it around the back, but not in a particularly domineering style. The hosts have been strangely subdued so far, that one burst into the box from Vini Jr apart.
9 min: Another touch for Vinicius. More whistles. The Benfica fans making their presence felt.
7 min: … Guler slipping a pass down the inside-left channel for Vinicius, who fires wide left under pressure from Otamendi. Vinicius claims a penalty, but the ball had long gone before any contact, and he’s never getting that decision.
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6 min: It really is a defiant start. Schjelderup makes good down the left and rolls infield for Rafa Silva, who drops a shoulder to send Raul Ascencio off for a copy of Marca. He fires towards the bottom left. Courtois gathers. Real counter and launch their first attack …
4 min: Dedic is in the mood for this, it’s clear already. He drives in from the right, making a long diagonal run before feeding Schjelderup, whose attempted cross is deflected into the side netting. Nothing comes of the resulting corner, but this is a defiant start by Benfica.
2 min: From the restart, Vinícius Júnior takes his first touch of the evening. He’s given the bird by the Benfica fans. Loud whistling.
Updated
1 min: Dedic advances down the right and nearly gets past Carreras, who puts in a crunching tackle. It should be a corner, but the linesman reckons the ball pinged back off the Benfica man. Goal kick.
Real Madrid kick off. The Bernabéu is bouncing.
Here come the players. Real Madrid in meringue white, Benfica all red. Zadok (Version) rings out from the speakers. We’ll be off in a minute or two.
Anyway, over to the Bernabeu, Real Madrid and Benfica. Good luck following that.
Nicola Zalewski’s penalty was the very last kick of the game. The penultimate kick of the tie was by Ramy Bensebaini to Nikola Krstović’s forehead. Four kicks earlier, Gregor Kobel carelessly shipped possession by softly kicking in the direction of Mario Pašalić, who took a couple of touches down the left before crossing. And before Kobel’s why-didn’t-you-just-blooter-it-clear brain-fade came Marten de Roon’s long speculative punt. So which one actually was the decisive kick? Get your semantic and pedantic kicks here! What an end to the tie, though. Congratulations to Atalanta, who never fail to entertain on the European stage.
Some admin amid the mayhem: Nico Schlotterbeck was also sent off for Borussia Dortmund, just before the penalty was taken, presumably for telling it as he sees it. There’s something that will affect the start of BVB’s European campaign next season / his transfer fee should he join another Champions League club in the summer.
FULL TIME: Atalanta 4-1 Borussia Dortmund (agg 4-3). That’s the last kick of the game! Atalanta will face either Arsenal or Bayern Munich in the last 16!
GOAL! Atalanta 4-1 Borussia Dortmund (Samardžić pen 90+8); agg 4-3. Samardžić whips the penalty into the top right, and that is surely that! What drama here!
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90 min +7: Nope! VAR brings the referee to the screen. And once he red-cards a person from both dugouts, he points at the spot and red-cards Bensebaini too. Penalty to win it coming up!
90 min +4: What drama here! Kobel races out of his area to deal with a loose ball. He only manages to pass it to Pašalić on the left! Pašalić advances down the left and loops a cross over the walkabout keeper. Krstović prepares to head home into the unguarded net, only for Bensebaini, facing the wrong way, to attempt to donkey-kick the ball clear! Which he does, at the expense of a corner, but also at the expense of Krstović’s head! Blood pours from it! What’s going to happen? That surely can’t be just a corner, can it?!
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90 min: Sulemana rolls a long pass down the left for Bernasconi to chase. Bernasconi whips it along the corridor of uncertainty but nobody in blue and black has kept up with him. There will be three added minutes. Can anyone find a winner, or is this going to extra time?
88 min: Nmecha flicks a cute pass down the middle and nearly releases Adeyemi on goal … but Ahanor nips between them, just in time, to steal the ball away. Both teams living on the edge. Both playing on the front foot. Can they both go through? Please?
87 min: Guirassy and Hien tussle in the Atalanta box. Both fall over. Dortmund want a penalty but they’re not getting one simply for participating in a hard-but-fair wrestling bout.
85 min: Krstović one-twos with Zalewski down the middle … and he’s clear! But Kobel reads the danger and comes racing out of his box to blooter clear. The keeper takes a whack for his trouble, but Krstović was within his rights to compete for the ball with so much on the line. Great play all round.
82 min: Atalanta counter, and Samardžić dances his way in from the right, before lashing a low diagonal drive inches wide of the left-hand post. Kobel wasn’t getting to that.
81 min: Adeyemi advances down the right. He zigs where Atalanta zag. He fires a low cross through the six-yard box. Guirassy isn’t far from the ball … but far away enough to be unable to poke home.
79 min: A caveat to that stick-with-it promise. Should this game go to extra time, on account of my not having four hands, two pairs of eyes, and a dual-face system on the front of my skull, we’ll have to leave this game for the Real-Benfica match should it go to extra time. But I’ll try to keep tabs on it nonetheless. I promise you that. To be honest, extra time isn’t exactly nailed on, despite the aggregate score and amount of time left on the clock, because since Adeyemi’s goal, both teams have gone into NBA Mode. This could be a great end-to-end finish.
GOAL! Atalanta 3-1 Borussia Dortmund (Adeyemi 75); agg 3-3. Karim Adeyemi dribbles in from the right. A big gap in the Atalanta defence opens up, just inside the box. Adeyemi shifts the ball to his left before unleashing a power-curler into the top left! What a strike! I’m going to have to stick with this one now.
Updated
There’s something brewing in Bergamo. Atalanta started the second leg of their tie against Borussia Dortumund 2-0 down. But tonight this has happened …
5 min: Lorenzo Bernasconi crosses low from the left. Daniel Svensson should clear but air-kicks. Gianluca Scamacca taps home.
45 min: Another cross into the BVB box from the left. This time it’s a high one, and Gregor Kobel punches clear. But only to Davide Zappacosta, who whistles one in from the edge of the box, admittedly with the aid of a big deflection.
57 min: This one’s an absolute peach. Marten de Roon swings long from a deep position on the left. Mario Pašalić, running in at the far stick, nods home. He couldn’t miss from six yards. Such a sweet delivery.
… and they’re now leading 3-0 on the night, 3-2 on aggregate. There’s 20 minutes plus stoppages to go. Dortmund desperate to force extra time. Atalanta doing their level best to salvage some Serie A dignity after last night’s Internazionale debacle, and Juventus’s statistically likely knockout tonight.
Real Madrid make two changes from the XI named to start the first leg. Kylian Mbappé and Dean Huijsen are injured, so Gonzalo and Raúl Asencio step into the team. Rodrygo is suspended.
Benfica make one change from their starting line-up last week, and it’s that enforced one. Gianluca Prestianni’s place is taken by Richard Ríos.
The teams
Real Madrid: Courtois, Alexander-Arnold, Asencio, Rudiger, Carreras, Valverde, Guler, Tchouameni, Camavinga, Gonzalo Garcia, Vinicius Junior.
Subs: Lunin, Gonzalez, Carvajal, Alaba, Francisco Garcia, Diaz, Mendy, Mastantuono, Cestero, Angel, Palacios, Pitarch.
Benfica: Trubin, Dedic, Otamendi, Tomas Araujo, Dahl, Barreiro, Rios, Aursnes, Rafa Silva, Schjelderup, Pavlidis.
Subs: Soares, Ferreira, Antonio Silva, Barrenechea, Bah, Ivanovic, Sudakov, Lukebakio, Cabral, Manu, Neto, Anisio Cabral.
Referee: Slavko Vincic (Slovenia)
VAR: Christian Dingert (Germany)
Gianluca Prestianni, the man whose actions instigated the storm last week at the Estádio da Luz, will be missing for Benfica tonight. The Argentine winger had been handed a provisional one-match ban after Vinicius Jr reported him for alleged racial abuse, pending the result of a full investigation, and today Uefa rejected Benfica’s appeal against his suspension for tonight’s match.
Meanwhile here’s some essential reading, courtesy of Samuel Okafor, chief executive of football’s anti‑discrimination organisation Kick It Out.
Preamble
When these two grand old clubs came out of the hat, one after the other, hot on the heels of the joyful drama of Anatoliy Trubin’s insta-legendary header, anticipation and excitement rocketed. Two more matches like that, please; imagine the fun we’ll all have! Then came last week’s throughly dispiriting imbroglio, and now … let’s just hope we get through the evening without anyone suffering unacceptable abuse while going about their daily business. It’s not much of an ask, and it’s painful to be required to set the bar so low, but here we are. Kick-off is at 8pm GMT.
