Real Madrid face Benfica in the UEFA Champions League playoffs and are tasked with getting revenge on the Portuguese side. A 4-2 loss against Jose Mourinho's men on the final matchday of the league phase sent Los Blancos tumbling out of the top eight.
Automatic progress is usually a given for Madridistas in fact the most competition's most successful club have never failed to reach the knockout rounds. But Alvaro Arbeloa's hopes of guiding his troops to the last 16 have been dented.
No Rodrygo for both Benfica legs
Rodrygo came on in the defeat at the Estadio da Luz but was sent off late on for dissent. UEFA have now handed him a two-match suspension meaning he will miss both legs of the playoff tie, per Madrid Xtra.
It's a nightmare for Arbeloa who is already without Jude Bellingham through injury. The English midfielder is expected to be out of action for at least three weeks with a hamstring problem.
Rodrygo is already a doubt for this weekend's La Liga clash against Valencia (January 8th). But Arbeloa would have been eager to have him available for the second leg of the playoff against Benfica on February 25th.
It will be a real test of Madrid's depth and piles more misery on a team that are enduring a difficult season. Franco Mastantuono will likely be who Arbeloa turns to but the Argentine dissapointed in Portugal last week.
Real Madrid at real risk of elimination
Madrid's record of appearing in the knockout rounds of the Champions League is in major jeopardy of ending this season. They were second best throughout the visit to Benfica and that was with a team possessing Bellingham and Rodrygo.
In such high pressure situations and a game of this magnitude it's crucial that experienced players are prioritised. Rodrygo knows how to get the job done for Madrid having been a key man in the 2023-24 Champions League win.
Benfica's win will spur them on and give them the belief that they can knock the record-holders out. Mourinho is renowned for producing results and he could do so in a similar fashion with his Portuguese side as he managed with FC Porto against Manchester United in the 2003-04 campaign.
If Madrid were to crash out of the Champions League in the playoffs it would be unthinkable. Arbeloa is already feeling the heat amid a topsy-turvy reign and this could be the final straw for the higher-ups to make a second managerial sacking.