Tuesday night marks the first legs of several Champions League play-offs, with particular attention on the showdown at Benfica’s Stadium of Light.

The two sides last met during the league stage, where Real Madrid snatched a late qualification spot for the UCL, while Benfica narrowly avoided elimination. The drama came courtesy of goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin, whose stoppage-time goal secured Benfica’s win and forced Real into the play-offs—a moment celebrated enthusiastically by former manager Jose Mourinho.

Despite the history, Real enter the two-legged tie as heavy favourites. They have won eight of their last ten UCL games against Portuguese opposition (D1, L1) but have lost three of four encounters with Benfica (W1). Their recent form in Europe has been inconsistent: six defeats in their last 11 UCL matches matches equals the total losses they suffered in the previous 39 games. However, Los Blancos have scored in four consecutive Champions League fixtures in 2025/26, demonstrating their attacking threat remains potent.

Benfica, meanwhile, have struggled at home this season in Europe, winning just twice in their last eight matches against Spanish teams. Yet they have a lighter league assignment this weekend against the bottom club, AWS, which could allow for squad rotation and fresher legs against the Spanish giants. Real travel to Osasuna, a venue where they have won only three of their last six league games, meaning nothing less than a hard-fought victory will suffice to maintain pressure on Barcelona.

A key factor will be the fitness of Kylian Mbappe, who has scored 13 goals in seven European appearances this season—the highest goals-per-game ratio for any player with more than five matches in a single UCL campaign. A late fitness check will decide whether he starts, comes off the bench, or is preserved for the return leg at the Santiago Bernabeu next week.

Benfica will look to Vangelis Pavlidis to lead the attack. The 27-year-old has nine goals in this season’s UCL, and one more strike across the tie would make him only the second Benfica player, after Oscar Cardozo, to reach double figures in a single European campaign.

While Real Madrid remain favourites, Mourinho’s side will be motivated to perform at their peak, with the chance to secure three successive home UCL wins in a season for the first time since 1994/95 and to best his former employers.

Even if Benfica can pull off a shock in Lisbon, the return leg at the Santiago Bernabeu will demand a monumental performance from the Portuguese side. Real’s historic dominance at home in Europe means they will be tough to overcome, a challenge Mourinho and his Eagles will know all too well.

As always in Europe, Tuesday night is only half-time in the tie.