Jose Mourinho will not be in the Benfica dugout on his return to Real Madrid on Wednesday night.
Benfica travel to the Santiago Bernabeu bidding to overturn a one-goal deficit from last week’s Champions League knockout phase play-off first leg.
Vinicius Jr scored the only goal of the game in Lisbon, although the fixture will be remembered for the alleged racism storm involving the Brazilian and Gianluca Prestianni.
UEFA have since announced that the Benfica midfielder will be suspended for the second leg in light of the allegation of racism made by Vinicius Jr as a disciplinary investigation into events at the match has been opened.
The Portuguese side know they must score at least once if they are to qualify for the round of 16, thus setting up a tie against rivals Sporting CP or Manchester City.
However, Mourinho will be absent from the dugout as his side aim to complete the comeback.
Why is Jose Mourinho is not on touchline for Real Madrid vs Benfica?
Mourinho was shown a straight red card in the second half last week for his angry protests on the touchline, feeling that several Real Madrid players were being afforded preferential treatment by Francois Letexier.
“No… no… I was sent off for saying something very obvious: the referee had a piece of paper that said, ‘Tchouameni, Carreras, and Huijsen couldn’t receive a yellow card.’ And he refused to book either Carreras or Tchouameni,” Mourinho revealed.
“I told the referee. Because I’ve spent 1,400 games on the bench, and he knew perfectly well who he could and couldn’t book.
“We know how it works. Madrid deserved the victory; they were stronger.
“I was sent off because I said something very obvious. Tchouameni, Huijsen, and Carreras shouldn’t have received a yellow card.
“He knew perfectly well who he could and couldn’t show a yellow to. Real Madrid deserved the victory; they were better.”
As a result of the red card, Mourinho must serve a one-match touchline suspension, meaning he will have a different view on his return to the Santiago Bernabeu.
“No, I won’t be able to go to the dressing room, communicate with the team, and it will be difficult for me, but my teammates and assistants are there, and they will do their job,” Mourinho added.
In addition to the touchline suspension, Mourinho will not speak to the media before or after the Champions League tie, instead those duties will be performed by his assistant, Joao Tralhao.
