Real Madrid News
Mourinho breaks silence in the aftermath of racism incident during Benfica vs Real Madrid
Jose Mourinho’s comments after Benfica’s defeat to Real Madrid midweek created significant controversy, especially after the manager made questionable statements about Vinicius Jr, the refereeing, and Real Madrid.
His words against Vinicius’ celebration, in particular, have not gone down well with many prominent figures across the globe with even the player himself reportedly fuming at how Mourinho handled the entire saga.
After all, the former Real Madrid coach questioned Vinicius’ celebration when asked about the racist comments passed to him by Gianluca Prestianni, deflecting the topic and equating it to an action that is not even comparable to the offence that had been committed.
Mourinho’s latest comments
Speaking to the media ahead of his team’s game against AVS this weekend, Jose Mourinho touched upon the topic of the midweek defeat to Benfica and how it weighed heavily on his players.
“It has not been easy to emotionally manage everything that has happened and continues to happen,” he said about the game that is still controversially highlighted by the media.
Speaking about how his team played on the night and how the game was very different up until the 50th minute on the night, Mourinho said,
“The match was really demanding in all aspects. Until the 50th minute, it was a match of maximum intensity, both physically and tactically, which required the necessary concentration to play at that level.”
Elaborating on everything that went wrong after that point, both in sporting terms and all the controversy that was generated, the former Real Madrid coach admitted that it was difficult to manage.
“But I must also recognize that from minute 50 until now, and the conversation will not end, it has not been easy to emotionally manage everything that has happened and continues to happen.”
Finally, he provided an update on his midfielder Fredrik Aursnes’ availability for the Real Madrid game next week, admitting that it was doubtful if the 30-year-old could make it back in time.
“I have no problem in saying in advance that Fredrik Aursnes will have to rest so that we have some hope of him being able to play in Madrid.”
“He is not in condition to play tomorrow. So we’ll make adjustments, but always bearing in mind that the match is difficult and that we have to win,” he added.
Source: Diario AS
Real Madrid will be looking to pick up their fifth win of the 2026/27 La Liga season when they take on Elche CF at Estadio Manuel Martinez Valero later tonight.
With 12 points from five games, Los Blancos are currently second in the league table, three points below leaders FC Barcelona.
As such, the Spanish capital club will be eager to get the win and close the gap to the top.
Guler starts, Bellingham rested
Ahead of kickoff, Real Madrid have announced the starting lineup that will take the field against Elche, with Jose Mourinho making some important changes.
For starters, Arda Guler is back in the lineup after appearing as a substitute in the win over Rayo Vallecano.
Interestingly, however, he starts in the attacking midfield role, with Mourinho opting to rest Jude Bellingham, who has started all of Real Madrid’s games so far.
That also means that Yan Diomande retains his place in the team, starting for a second time in a row on the right wing. Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr. continue in their respective positions in attack.
Another notable change sees Aurelien Tchouameni make his first start of the season after recovering from injury and making two appearances off the bench.
He replaces Bernardo Silva as Federico Valverde’s partner in the middle of the park.
Meanwhile, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Marc Cucurella come in as full-backs, while Ibrahima Konate and Dean Huijsen slot in at centre-back in front of goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
📋✅ ¡Nuestro XI inicial!
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) September 15, 2026
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