Benfica manager Jose Mourinho has told his side to expect a different Real Madrid to the one that was beaten 4-2 in Lisbon last month in their Champions League play-off round. Los Blancos were exposed frequently in their first meeting, but Mourinho prepared the Eagles for a tougher time on Tuesday night.
Following their victory over Real Madrid in the final game of the league phase, Mourinho reiterated that he felt that Los Blancos were among the favourites to win the competition. He doubled down on that before their second meeting.
“The Real Madrid I expect tomorrow is the Real Madrid that is the main contender to win the Champions League. Obviously, I expect a similar opponent to the one we faced after Lisbon, where the coach was able to understand some things, modify the team’s structure, and go from a difficult situation, from an unexpected and resounding defeat, to three consecutive league victories,” he told Diario AS.
‘It will be a different match’ – Mourinho
It was Arbeloa’s third game in charge when they first met, and he had been in the role just eight days when they clashed. Now after a month, Mourinho explained that we were starting to see changes to the Real Madrid side.
“Tomorrow’s match will be different from the league game. I analysed the recent match, but I threw it away, because in recent matches Madrid has been playing tactically differently. I don’t want my team to play the way Madrid wants us to. We have to play the way I want.”
Stopping Vinicius Junior
One of the main tasks for Arbeloa has been getting Vinicius Junior back to his best, and he has now scored in his last two league games after a three-month drought. Mourinho said his defenders would be motivated to stop him.
“We shouldn’t be pessimistic. We have two options. We have to work as a team to stop them. The players coming back from injuries aren’t getting minutes, and it would have been better if they had played this weekend. Playing against Real Madrid is motivation enough.”
Arbeloa’s side have certainly worked on pressing more selectively under Arbeloa, but he has also asked his defenders to play wider, and his forwards to remain higher up the pitch. The former Liverpool defender seems more intent on playing with a higher tempo, and ensuring his forward have freedom to roam and space to work with first and foremost, although they have looked more structured defensively too.
