SL Benfica

vs

Real Madrid

Preview

Benfica

• Benfica have only 6 from 7 in 29th place.
• Benfica have won 2 and lost 3 of their last 5.
• Benfica have won just one of their 3 home games in the competition so far, losing twice and averaging just 1.33 goals per game in Portugal.
• Vangelis Pavlidis is in blistering form in front of goal, scoring 6 times in his last 5 games and becoming Benfica’s primary attacking outlet.

Real Madrid

• Real Madrid have 15 points from 7 matches, in third place.
• Real Madrid have won 3 of their last 5 matches, including a 6-1 win over AS Monaco in Europe.
• Real Madrid have won 2 and lost 1 of their 3 away games in the UEFA Champions League 2025/2026 campaign, conceding 4 goals on the road.
• Kylian Mbappé has 11 goals in just 6 Champions League games this term.

Key Players

• Vangelis Pavlidis is in blistering form in front of goal, scoring 6 times in his last 5 games and becoming Benfica’s primary attacking outlet.
• Kylian Mbappé has 11 goals in just 6 Champions League games this term.
• Georgiy Sudakov has been Benfica’s creative spark, with 2 assists in 7 Champions League games this season.

Betting Insights

• Arbeloa has implemented a more high-intensity pressing strategy at Madrid, and his side are in tune with each other in this regard.
• Over 2.5 goals is a standout odds at 1.5, and this will be an open game, with both sides looking to attack.
• The visitors are the superior team, however, and 1.67 is a bit too high for Real Madrid to come out on top.

Prediction

• The visitors will have enough firepower to score against Mourinho’s men.
• Mourinho is a savvy tactician and knows how to set up a game to maximise his team’s chances, so Benfica will keep things interesting for a while.