Will Real Madrid secure their place in the Champions League round of 16? Last Tuesday, now led by Álvaro Arbeloa of course, Los Merengues crushed Monaco 6-1 at the Bernabéu.
This takes Los Blancos' points tally up to 15 in the league phase, also enjoying wins over Olympique de Marseille, Kairat, Juventus and Olympiacos, but beaten by Liverpool and Manchester City. In last season's inaugural league phase, the 15-time European champions finished 11th but are determined to secure a place in the top eight this time.
Only a victory on the final matchday will guarantee safe passage into the last 16, making the short trip to Lisbon to face Benfica at Estádio da Luz; the hosts are on the brink of elimination. Everything points to a Real Madrid win, well almost everything.
The reason why Benfica could upset the odds against Real Madrid
Of course, Wednesday's clash in Lisbon will see a reunion between Real Madrid and José Mourinho. The 'Special One' was re-appointed as Benfica head coach in September, but has not enjoyed a dream start to the job. The Eagles have been dumped out of both domestic cups, while, despite still being unbeaten in the Primeira Liga, draws are killing them, currently ten points adrift of leaders Porto.
In the Champions League, Mourinho has enjoyed victories over Ajax and Napoli, but last Wednesday's 2-0 defeat in Turin, their fifth from seven fixtures, means they're more than likely to exit the competition this week. Mourinho returned to Stamford Bridge earlier in the campaign, defeated 1-0 in West London, but, more broadly, boast an excellent record against former clubs.
José Mourinho's managerial record vs former clubs
Clubs | Meetings after leaving | Wins | Loses |
|---|---|---|---|
Benfica | 11 | 6 | 2 |
União de Leiria | 7 | 5 | Zero |
Porto | 8 | 3 | 3 |
Chelsea | 15 | 5 | 8 |
Inter Milan | 6 | 1 | 5 |
Real Madrid | 1 | Zero | 1 |
Manchester United | 5 | 1 | 2 |
Tottenham Hotspur | Never | met since | departing. |
Roma | Never | met since | departing. |
Fenerbahçe | Never | met since | departing. |
When coming up against teams he used to manage, Mourinho boast a pretty good record. In 53 such fixtures, he has enjoyed 21 victories and suffered 21 defeats. His worst such ratio is against Inter, losing five of six clashes with the Nerazzurri during his tenure as Roma boss.
Since leaving Real Madrid in 2013, Mourinho has only come up against los Blancos once. This came in the UEFA Super Cup in Skopje in 2017, in which goals from Casemiro and then Isco saw them beat Manchester United 2-1 at the National Arena Toše Proeski.
Thus, of all seven clubs Mourinho has faced after departing, Real Madrid are the only side he has failed to get a win over, yet to meet Tottenham, Roma or Fenerbahçe. So, can the special one change that fact on Wednesday, thereby keeping Benfica's top 24 hopes alive, while simultaneously severely damaging Real Madrid's automatic qualification prospects?