Real Madrid have arrived in Lisbon as they get set to take on SL Benfica for the second time within a month, hoping for a different result this time around.
Having faced the Portuguese giants, managed by Jose Mourinho, in the final matchday of the league phase of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League, Los Blancos ended up suffering a shock 4-2 defeat.
Not only it allowed Benfica to qualify for the Round of 16 playoffs, it also cost Real Madrid a place in the top-eight, meaning they now have to go through an additional round to make it through to the knockouts, with Mourinho & co. standing in their way again.
Ahead of the first leg of the playoff encounter on Tuesday night, Mourinho addressed the media, where he spoke fondly about his time at Real Madrid as well as the challenges that lie ahead for his team.
On Real Madrid manager and players
Kicking things off, Mourinho touched on the evolution of this Real Madrid team under Alvaro Arbeloa, comparing where they are now to where they were last month when Benfica beat them.
“Everything is new. Let’s forget about the match we played at a few weeks ago. It’s a completely different Real Madrid, both because of some of the players who have returned and, because of their approach to the game, the way they organise themselves.
“I give all the credit to the manager because he understood what happened here. They have undergone an evolution in the solidity of the team.”
Talking about the importance of the returns of key players like Trent Alexander-Arnold and Antonio Rudiger for Los Blancos, the opposition manager remarked:
“They are two important players, but more than their individual qualities, it’s the way they structure themselves.
“They defend with two very compact lines of four, leaving Vinicius and Mbappe up front for transitions and depth. It’s a very effective way they’ve found to be more solid and, with these players up front, more dangerous.”
On whether facing a wounded Real Madrid was going to be dangerous for his team, Mourinho acknowledged:
“They are dangerous because of their individual quality, but they have improved a lot collectively. And I dare to state the obvious: they are a wounded team. They conceded four goals…
“I imagine Benfica conceding four and, two or three weeks later, with the possibility of facing the team that crushed them again. We would have something more. That’s what I expect from Real Madrid.”
Talking about how Benfica can stop Vinicius Jr., who scored twice in Madrid’s last game against Real Sociedad, he explained:
“There’s no need to be pessimistic. We have two options. We have to work as a team to stop him.
“Players coming back from injury don’t have any minutes under their belts and it would have been better if they had played this weekend. Playing against Madrid is motivation enough.”
When asked what it would mean for his Benfica players to beat Real Madrid once again, Mourinho elaborated:
“If beating Real Madrid once is very difficult, beating them twice is even more so. Winning three times, or even in a knockout tie, is even more difficult. Even more important is their motivation to win the Champions League, not to eliminate Benfica.
“That is their goal. And that is their greatest strength for this match. For our part, we won and we know why. But, on the other hand, we know that the match will not be a carbon copy and they have evolved significantly as a team in a short space of time.”
Mourinho’s Benfica beat Real Madrid in January. (Photo by Jose Manuel Alvarez Rey/Getty Images)
Continuing, he added: “What I asked the players was to play with the joy of those who deserve to be here. Perhaps it is better to be here against the great Real Madrid than against a lesser team.
“We will enjoy tomorrow’s match; we hope for a result that leaves us feeling good. We are going to Madrid to compete for qualification and we are going with joy.”
On what kind of a game he is expecting next week at the Bernabeu when he returns, Mourinho said:
“The reception. I hope they forget about me and focus on helping Real Madrid qualify. That’s the goal of the team and the fans: to eliminate Benfica and win the Champions League. I’ll be there and they’ll forget it’s me.”
When asked if it would take a miracle for Benfica to eliminate Real Madrid, he replied: “I don’t think it will take a miracle for Benfica to knock Real Madrid out. I think Benfica needs to be at its best.
“I don’t even mean good, I mean the best, almost perfect, which doesn’t exist. But not a miracle. Obviously, Real Madrid is Real Madrid: the history, the knowledge, the ambition… But football has this power and we can win.”
On his time at Real Madrid
Mourinho spent three years at Real Madrid between 2010 and 2013, and while the spell was not laden with trophies, the Portuguese manager is still remembered fondly in the Spanish capital for the team he helped build.
So, when asked if he felt that Los Blancos’La Decima success, a year after he left, was also his own, Mourinho replied:
“I must be one of the few Real Madrid coaches to leave without being sacked. When you leave on your own terms, you have nothing to envy. I left with a clear conscience.
“I’ll never forget what the president said to me when I left: ‘Now comes the easy part, the hard part is already done.’ My family is the most important thing to me and that was the best thing. It was also the best thing for Madrid.
“After difficult, intense and violent years. Everything Madrid has done since then has only brought me joy. I don’t feel like I’m part of anything; the credit goes to those who were there.
“Estadio Da Luz stadium is a happy place for Madrid. They lost, but they weren’t eliminated; they won a Champions League here.”
Mourinho remains a well-loved figure among Real Madrid fans. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)
On what he took away from his three years at the Santiago Bernabeu, Mourinho elaborated: “I wouldn’t change anything because I can’t change anything now. I’ll take away the fact that I gave it my all.
“It doesn’t matter if you make mistakes, because you gave it your all. That’s what I tell my players. If you fail, it’s okay, you tried your best. I’m at peace with myself.”
Amid reports suggesting that Mourinho would be open to returning to Real Madrid if the club made an approach, he was asked if it was possible for anyone to turn down the Merengues.
“Yes, you can,” said Mourinho, non-chalantly.
Talking about how he feels when he hears fans in Madrid speak so highly of him and his time at the club, Mourinho stated:
“I gave everything I had to Madrid. I did some things well and some things badly, but I gave it my all. When a professional gives everything, there is a connection that lasts forever.
“My feeling after these 12 years with the Madrid fans is the same as theirs: they respect me and hold me in high esteem. It’s fantastic for me.”
However, he made it clear that he is happy at Benfica and does not want to fuel any rumours of a possible move to Real Madrid, saying:
“I don’t want to fuel stories that don’t exist. I have one more year on my contract with Benfica; it’s special because it’s an election period and we wanted to protect a new president. It has an easy-to-break clause. I have nothing against Madrid.”
Wishing luck to Arbeloa and Madrid, he added: “I would very much like to eliminate Madrid, but I would very much like Arbeloa to win La Liga and stay there for many years, because he has a lot of ability. He is a Madridista and has a lot of personality.”
Touching on his relationship with Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, Mourinho said:
“The last time we spoke was when I signed with Benfica. He told me he was very happy because I had signed for a great club. He didn’t come to the last match; I hope he’ll be here tomorrow so I can talk to him. We’re great friends.”
Source: AS