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Three talking points ahead of Benfica vs Real Madrid | UEFA Champions League
Real Madrid take on SL Benfica on Wednesday night as part of the gala UEFA Champions League matchday where all games kick off simultaneously.
It will be a special night for Alvaro Arbeloa as Co., as they lock horns with legendary manager and former Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho who always has a special affection for the Merengues.
The Portuguese side enter the game on a mixed run of form as they have racked up three wins and three defeats in their last six games. They have, however, not been in great form in Europe as they sit in 29th place with six points after seven games.
Madrid Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Benfica vs Real Madrid.
The sole objective
There is really only one objective ahead of Matchday 8 for every top European team in the UEFA Champions League – direct qualification to the knockouts.
Amid the already hectic schedule, Real Madrid can do with any let-off, and skipping an additional round in Europe to directly qualify to the Round of 16, needless to say, would be a massive boost for Los Blancos.
In order to do so, a top-8 finish is a must and the men in white are already well placed on that front. After all, they sit in third place after seven games and are only behind Arsenal and Bayern Munich.
Normally, such a comfortable position would all but guarantee their qualification, but as matters stand, only two points separate them in third place and Atalanta in 13th position. Needless to say, a lot can change if they slip up against Benfica.
A win in Lisbon will assure them of a top-8 finish beyond any doubt, especially because not more than four teams can finish the league phase with a tally of 18 points or above.
A defeat or a draw, however, hands a chance for the eight teams on 13 points to catch up, if not overtake them in the standings. In such a scenario, their place in the top-8 is not assured.
The objective in Lisbon, thus, will be to win at whatever the cost. Benfica will be desperate to win and propel themselves up the ladder, but Real Madrid must be alert and determined.
Asencio’s tricky situation
Real Madrid’s centre-back situation has been a tricky one for a long time now, especially with multiple players facing fitness setbacks and uncertain periods on the sidelines.
Antonio Rudiger, for starters, was out for a significant period at the beginning of the season and is once again on the sidelines. Dean Huijsen, meanwhile, has also been on and off with his availability.
Raul Asencio’s situation, however, is completely different. The academy graduate has been largely available at the management’s disposal all season and has done well to provide cover in the department irrespective of who he has been partnered with.
He has, however, been playing with a crack in his tibia, and every game he plays aggravates the condition and potentially worsens the prognosis of his injury.
Asencio has pushed himself with the sole objective of helping the team through the difficult period, but the club has to hand him a rest at some point and he could be sidelined for a long period from then on.
The question for Arbeloa, thus, is whether he continues to risk Asencio to provide defensive stability or hands him an immediate rest to preserve him as an option for the coming months.
Every game, after all, counts massively at this point.
The right-wing dilemma
Just over a month ago, Real Madrid’s struggle over the right-wing position was that the manager had no convincing option in the position to hand the bona fide starting spot.
A lot, however, has changed since then and Arbeloa now finds himself in a tricky position.
In the team’s final games under Xabi Alonso, up until the Spanish Super Cup, Rodrygo enjoyed some much-needed resurgence and proved his value in the setup.
The player offered a great work rate off the ball and earned back-to-back starts, even threatening Barcelona’s defence in the eventual final.
Since Arbeloa, took over, however, Rodrygo has been unavailable through injury for a great part. The manager, thus, began trusting Franco Mastantuono and the Argentine star has not disappointed.
The youngster scored in Real Madrid’s win over AS Monaco and even dished out a fine performance against Villarreal where he started and controlled the game with a good defensive work rate.
Arbeloa’s big question tomorrow, thus, is whether Rodrygo or Mastantuono should start and whose contributions he values more. After all, their profiles are quite different in a direct sense.
Real Madrid made a mess of their game against Elche last night, and it is clear that the men in white have several flaws with no answers at the moment.
From being 2-0 up, the men in white bottled their lead and threw the game into jeopardy by permitting Elche to score two goals. The result, as many saw it, was set to end in a draw.
With some persistent attacks in the dying minutes, however, Real Madrid managed to build pressure on Elche and eventually scored one more goal at the death to take home the three points.
Needless to say, however, the negatives from the game far outweigh the positive news of the three points.
Madrid Universal brings you three takeaways from Elche 2-3 Real Madrid.
Another second-half collapse
After Real Madrid’s win over Rayo Vallecano at the weekend, Jose Mourinho stressed the fact that Real Madrid actually played only one half and that the fatigue began showing after the break.
On the night, the opposition began to enjoy more dominance and create chances after half-time as they outran and outpressed Los Blancos to good effect.
Last night was no different, and the second half went completely awry.
The men in white entered the half-time break cruising with a 2-0 lead and significant dominance over the proceedings. They had a massive xG, with Elche barely creating any chances of note.
After the break, however, the entire dynamic of the game changed as Real Madrid took a step back and handed the impetus to the hosts. Pressing high and attacking without fear, Elche dominated Real Madrid for most of the second half and had a staggering 60% of possession.
They scored twice – in the 71st and 83rd minutes – and equalised Real Madrid on the night. Given the visitors’ shambolic display, it was deserved for Elche.
At this point, the constant second-half collapses and fatigue struggles of the team after just 45 minutes of action must worry Jose Mourinho immensely. Heading into a derby away from home, Real Madrid have to do much better.
The away curse continues
While Real Madrid’s form at home has been imperious this season, their form away from home has been equally shocking.
They began their season with a last-minute win over Espanyol, and their second league game of the season on the road came against Real Betis and ended in defeat.
Heading into their third away game last night, there was an element of worry about how they would perform, and the trend continued once more.
Real Madrid did well to take the lead on the night, but they made the second half a massive war and far more difficult than it should have been.
At this point, serious questions have to be raised about Real Madrid’s form on the road and their inability to keep games under control when playing in away stadiums.
Heading forward in the season, Los Blancos have some massive away games coming up against far more difficult opposition. The Madrid derby is up next, and the team’s form is nothing promising heading into that fixture.
Carlos Espi saves the day… again!
Real Madrid are currently on 15 points after six games in the league, but Carlos Espi has directly contributed to a massive chunk of that.
If not for the new Spanish striker’s ability to come up clutch in big moments, Real Madrid could well have been on just 11 points at this stage in the season, and the four points he has added are absolutely crucial.
Against Espanyol, it was Espi who scored a stoppage-time winner to hand Real Madrid all three points after a complicated match. Last night, he repeated the same heroics once more.
With the team staring at a draw, the new signing was at the right place at the right time to bury Kylian Mbappe’s assist in stoppage time, handing Real Madrid all three points at the death.
He may not have played a large part on the night, but his cameo was again powerful and it is clear that he elevates the team’s attack and provides new solutions in front of goal. Espi has already proven his talent, and his ability to perform under pressure is what makes him special.
