Real Madrid is set to host Benfica at home in the second leg of the Champions League 2025-26 knockout playoff clash on Wednesday at the Bernabeu.
Real currently holds the aggregate advantage after a 1-0 victory at Lisbon, thanks to a wondergoal courtesy of Vinicius Junior.
The match itself was overshadowed by the alleged incident of racist abuse suffered by Vinicius at the hands of Benfica forward, Gianluca Prestianni, after the Brazilian winger’s goal. As a result, Prestianni has been suspended for the second leg as UEFA continues its investigation into the incident.
Why will Jose Mourinho not be coaching from the touchline for Real Madrid vs Benfica?
Benfica’s head coach, Jose Mourinho, will not be available for his side’s visit to Madrid after being sent off in the first leg and has also opted to skip both the pre-match and post-match press conferences.
He was shown a red card in the second half of the game for his sour remarks about the referee, Francois Letexier’s supposed preferential treatment of Real Madrid players.
Mourinho claimed the referee had a piece of paper which stated that Aurélien Tchouameni, Alvaro Carreras, and Dean Huijsen couldn’t receive a yellow card. His comments insinuated that Real Madrid players were being exempt from bookings that would result in their suspension from the second leg.
Benfica’s assistant coach, Joao Tralhao, will be taking up Mourinho’s place on the touchline, as well as filling in for him during the press conferences for the match.
Published on Feb 26, 2026
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