Real Madrid vs Benfica: Arbeloa willing to trust defender despite Osasuna calamity

Real Madrid face Benfica in the second-leg of their Champions League play-off tonight at the Bernabeu. Alvaro Arbeloa has some massive decisions to make, not least, because he will likely be without Kylian Mbappe.

The French forward is dealing with a knee problem and is a doubt for the encounter with Jose Mourinho's side. Los Blancos head into tonight's game following a shock 2-1 loss away to Osasuna in La Liga.

Madrid spurned the chance to move five points clear of Barcelona, and the Catalans capitalised by beating Levante. They displaced the Spanish capital club at the top of the Spanish league table and it was a defensive mess that allowed Osasuna to beat Arbeloa's men.

Asencio must bounce back

Raul Asencio was particularly poor in the defeat to Osasuna, failing to deal with Raul Garcia when he struck a late winner. The Spaniard was called out by Spanish journalist Rodra, who claimed he cost his side the game.

Despite Asencio's dissapointing display it appears that Arbeloa is set to stick with the Spaniard. The expected lineup for tonight's game reported by Diario AS has the 23-year-old partnering Antonio Rudiger in defense.

This line up was given before Mbappe felt pain in his knee during training on Tuesday. So the Frenchman is now unlikely to lead the line as the report suggested.

Thibaut Courtois is set to continue in goal, with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Alvaro Carreras accompanying Asencio and Rudiger in defense. The midfield is set to be unchanged with Federico Valverde, Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga as a three.

Arda Guler is tipped to start again with Vinicius Junior in attack. Should Mbappe indeed miss the second-leg it's likely that Arbeloa will turn to Gonzalo Garcia to lead the line.

All eyes will be on Asencio following his worrying performance against Osasuna. He has been one of Madrid's better performers this season but his last outing was cause for concern.

Asencio has made 28 appearances across competitions, scoring two goals and providing one assist. There have been concerns that he is playing through the pain barrier amid an injury crisis that has proven problematic throughout the season.

The pressure

Madrid host Benfica at the Bernabeu with a 1-0 lead on aggregate following Vinicius' winner at the Estadio da Luz last week. Asencio didn't start that game and instead it was Dean Huijsen who partnered Rudiger and fared well.

Anything but a victory and a place in the last 16 is unthinkable given Los Blancos have never failed to advance to the knockout stages. Arbeloa needs his defense to be at their best and ensure the Osasuna loss doesn't ruin their season.