Real Madrid vs Benfica Prediction & Tips | Champions League - Play Offs | FootballTips.app

Real Madrid will take on SL Benfica at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu on February 25, 2026, GMT in a crucial Champions League clash.

Both teams will battle it out in the elimination phase, aiming to secure a vital victory to progress further in the competition.

Real Madrid has been in exceptional form, securing 5 wins in their last 6 matches and boasting a flawless record of 100% wins in their recent 6 home fixtures.

Conversely, SL Benfica has faced challenges with 3 losses in their last 6 Champions League matches but has recorded 13 wins in 21 away matches this season.

In their head-to-head matchups this season, Real Madrid suffered a single defeat out of 2 matches against SL Benfica, adding an element of intrigue to their upcoming encounter.

With both teams showcasing their ability to score goals, an exciting and attacking game is expected.

Prediction: Over 2.5 goals to be scored in the match.

Real Madrid and Benfica meet for the third straight Champions League matchday, with a single Vinícius Júnior goal separating them after a first leg that spilled beyond football. Madrid’s lead is slender, but it lands in familiar hands. When they win the first leg in Europe, they usually finish the job, progressing from 22 of their last 23 Champions League knockout ties in that scenario. Add a Bernabéu run that has seen them win six consecutive competitive home matches, and the tie leans towards the holders of so many late-night European rituals.

Benfica arrive knowing two things can be true at once. They have already beaten Madrid this season, producing a wild 4-2 win in Lisbon on the final league-phase matchday, with their goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin even scoring the clincher in stoppage time against a nine-man Madrid. But the broader pattern is less forgiving: the Eagles have exited Europe in seven of the last eight occasions they lost the first leg of a knockout tie at home, and Mourinho’s personal record in recent knockout rounds is grim, winless in nine such games (D4, L5). Their form otherwise is solid, with just that first-leg defeat their only competitive loss in seven (W5, D1), yet their away Champions League main-draw record has been a problem, winning one of the last five (L4). They need a performance that mixes their best moments from Lisbon with a level of control they have rarely found in Spain.

Benfica have enough craft to make this uncomfortable, especially if they start quickly, but Madrid’s home momentum, Mbappé’s finishing, and the way they usually manage first-leg leads point toward a narrow win or a draw that still sends them through.