Champions League Matchday 8: Benfica vs Real Madrid facts

Real Madrid have the chance to seal a place in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 as they finish their league phase campaign away to Benfica, whose own hopes of progression are hanging by a thread.

Madrid are third in the league phase table having collected 15 points from their first seven fixtures; Benfica are 29th before Matchday 8 on six points.

Last match

Despite the clubs' long European histories, this is only their fourth meeting, Benfica winning two matches to Madrid's one and scoring 11 goals while conceding six.

The Portuguese side retained the European Cup with a 5-3 defeat of Madrid in the 1962 final in Amsterdam, Eusébio scoring twice as Madrid's Ferenc Puskás hit a hat-trick in a losing cause.

Benfica also prevailed 6-3 on aggregate in the 1964/65 quarter finals, winning 5-1 in Lisbon before a 2-1 loss in Madrid; Eusébio scored twice in the first leg and once in the second.

The Eagles have lost their last three games – and five of the last six (W1) – against Spanish clubs, most recently home (0-1) and away (1-3) to Barcelona in last season's round of 16.

Benfica have won only three of their last 25 matches against Liga teams (D8 L14).

Madrid are unbeaten in their last ten matches against Portuguese teams (W8 D2), winning the last four – most recently against Braga in the 2023/24 group stage (2-1 a, 3-0 h).

Victory at Braga was Madrid's fourth in a row in Portugal.

Benfica

This is Benfica's 45th European Cup campaign, behind only Madrid's 56. This is their 20th appearance in the Champions League proper and a 15th in the last 16 seasons.

In 2024/25 the Eagles were 16th in the league phase (W4 D1 L3), beating Monaco 4-3 in the knockout phase play-offs before a 1-4 aggregate last-16 loss to Barcelona.

Real Madrid

Madrid are in the Champions League proper for the 30th time, a competition record they share with Barcelona. They have now qualified for the knockout rounds in all 30 campaigns.

A team coached by Carlo Ancelotti were 11th in last season's league phase (W5 L3), eventually losing 1-5 on aggregate to Arsenal in the quarter-finals.

Madrid parted company with Xabi Alonso on 12 January, appointing B team coach Álvaro Arbeloa as his replacement.

Key stats

José Mourinho was Madrid coach from May 2010 to June 2013, winning the Copa del Rey in 2010/11 and La Liga the following season.

Defender Álvaro Carreras signed for Madrid last summer from Benfica, where he made 68 appearances, scoring five goals, from January 2024.

Benfica defender Nicolás Otamendi has made 99 appearances in the Champions League, Matchday 1 to final; he would be the third Argentinian to reach a century after Lionel Messi (163) and Ángel Di María (116).

A 2-0 defeat at Juventus on Matchday 7 was Benfica's fifth in this season's league phase (W2).

A 6-1 home victory against Monaco on Matchday 7 made it eight wins in Madrid's last ten league phase matches (L2).

Kylian Mbappé scored twice and is the top scorer in this season's Champions League on 11 goals – already his highest tally for a single season – to equal Cristiano Ronaldo's record for most goals in a single group stage/league phase set in 2015/16.