Real Madrid will host Benfica at home on Wednesday in the second leg of the 2025/26 Champions League knockout play-off match at the Bernabeu.
Real currently have the overall advantage after a 1-0 win in Lisbon, thanks to a wonder goal from Vinicius Junior cxv6.
The match itself was overshadowed by the alleged incident of racist abuse Vinicius suffered from Benfica striker Gianluca Prestianni, following the Brazilian winger’s goal. As a result, Prestianni has been suspended for the second leg while UEFA continues to investigate the incident.
Why won’t Jose Mourinho coach from the sidelines for Real Madrid vs Benfica?
Benfica’s head coach, Jose Mourinho, will be unavailable for his side’s visit to Madrid after being sent off in the first leg and has also opted to skip both the pre- and post-match press conferences.
He was shown a red card in the second half of the match for his sour comments about the referee and Francois Letexier’s alleged preferential treatment of Real Madrid players.
Mourinho claimed that the referee had a piece of paper with him saying that Aurélien Tchouameni, Alvaro Carreras and Dean Huijsen could not receive a yellow card. His comments insinuated that Real Madrid players would be exempt from bookings that would result in their suspension for the second leg.
Benfica’s assistant coach, Joao Tralhao, will take Mourinho’s place on the sidelines and replace him during the pre-match press conferences.
Published on February 26, 2026
