Preview: Real Madrid vs Benfica - prediction, team news, lineups

Real Madrid will welcome Benfica to the Bernabeu on Wednesday evening for the second leg of their Champions League knockout round playoff.

Los Blancos have a slender lead in the tie, having recorded a 1-0 victory in the first leg last week, with Vinicius Junior scoring the only goal of the match.

Match preview

The score in the first leg last week was 1-0, with Vinicius netting the only goal of the contest in the second period, but that far from tells the whole story, as there has been an incredible fall-out which remains ongoing, adding to the tension leading into this match.

Vinicius accused Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni of racially abusing him shortly after the opening goal, which led to a 10-minute stoppage before the contest resumed, and UEFA continue to investigate the incident, which dominated the post-match discussion.

Los Blancos head coach Alvaro Arbeloa will ensure that Vinicius is in the right frame of mind before deciding whether to select him on Wednesday, but the expectation is that the attacker will start, and he will be determined to help the capital giants finish the job.

Real Madrid will enter the game off the back of a 2-1 loss to Osasuna, which has left them in second spot in the La Liga table, and there will have to be a huge improvement in terms of performance if Los Blancos are to progress in the Champions League.

The Madrid giants have won five of their last six games against Portuguese opponents, and should they manage to navigate their way into the last-16 stage of the tournament, a two-legged tie against either Sporting Lisbon or Manchester City will be on the cards.

Benfica managed to return to winning ways in the league on Saturday, beating AFS 3-0, but their head coach Jose Mourinho will not be on the touchline at the Bernabeu for this match, having been sent off in the first leg last week.

The Eagles actually lead the overall head-to-head record between the two sides, triumphing three times and losing twice, including a sensational 5-3 success in the 1962 European Cup final.

Benfica have lost six of their last eight games against Spanish opposition, including home and away defeats to Barcelona in last season's round of 16, while they have lost 15 of their previous 27 matches against teams from La Liga.

What's more, the Portuguese giants have just two wins from their 14 away matches against Spanish clubs, showing the size of their task on Wednesday night.

Benfica have won eight of their last 11 two-legged European ties, but Real Madrid have triumphed in 22 of the last 23 European ties in which they were victorious in the first leg.

Real Madrid Champions League form:

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Real Madrid form (all competitions):

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Benfica Champions League form:

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Benfica form (all competitions):

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Team News

Vinicius is set to be in the Real Madrid XI on Wednesday night, and the 25-year-old will be looking to find the back of the net for a fifth game in a row.

Rodrygo, who has recently been sidelined due to a hamstring issue, will once again be unavailable for selection through suspension, while Jude Bellingham (hamstring), Eder Militao (hamstring) and Dani Ceballos (calf) are also out.

Dean Huijsen missed the clash with Osasuna due to a muscular problem, and the Spain international remains a major doubt for this match.

A four-man narrow midfield should again include Federico Valverde and Arda Guler in the wide positions, but Kylian Mbappe has emerged as a major doubt due to a knee issue, so Gonzalo Garcia could join Vinicius in the front two.

As for Benfica, Prestianni has been suspended by UEFA while the investigation continues, so the 20-year-old will not be involved at Bernabeu.

The visitors are only actually missing one player through injury, with Joao Veloso on the sidelines due to a shoulder problem; Benfica are otherwise in excellent shape for the clash in Madrid.

Dodi Lukebakio could be introduced in a wide area here, while there also may be a spot in the middle of the midfield for Richard Rios.

Vangelis Pavlidis has scored 28 times in all competitions during an excellent campaign, and the 27-year-old will continue in the final third of the field.

Real Madrid possible starting lineup:

Courtois; Alexander-Arnold, Asencio, Rudiger, Carreras; Valverde, Guler, Tchouameni, Guler; G Garcia, Vinicius

Benfica possible starting lineup:

Trubin; Dedic, Araujo, Otamendi, Dahl; Rios, Aursnes; Lukebakio, Rafa, Schjelderup; Pavlidis

We say: Real Madrid 2-1 Benfica (Real Madrid to win 3-1 on aggregate)

Benfica have it all to do on Wednesday night, and we are finding it tough to back the Portuguese outfit. Real Madrid are not exactly in full flow at the moment, but Los Blancos should have enough to secure their spot in the last-16 stage of the tournament.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.