José Mourinho called Real Madrid a “wounded king” after the shock loss to Benfica and doesn’t think it will take a miracle to stun the Spanish giants again in the Champions League.
Benfica defeated Madrid 4-2 in the final round of the league phase to grab the last spot in the playoffs, and in the process dropped the 15-time champion out of the eight automatic qualification places for the round of 16.
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Coach Mourinho’s Benfica and his former team Madrid meet again in Lisbon on Tuesday in the first leg of the knockout stage.
“They are wounded,” Mourinho said Monday. “And a wounded king is dangerous. We will play the first leg with our heads, with ambition and confidence. We know what we did to the kings of the Champions League.”
Mourinho acknowledged that Madrid remained heavily favored and it would take a near-perfect show for Benfica to advance.
“I don’t think it takes a miracle for Benfica to eliminate Real Madrid. I think we need to be at our highest level. I don’t even say high, I mean maximum, almost bordering on perfection, which does not exist. But not a miracle,” he said.
“Real Madrid is Real Madrid, with history, knowledge, ambition. The only comparable thing is that we are two giants. Beyond that, there is nothing else. But football has this power and we can win.”
Benfica’s dramatic win in Lisbon three weeks ago came thanks to a last-minute header by goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin, allowing the team to grab the 24th and final spot for the knockout stage on goal difference.
“Trubin won’t be in the attack this time,” Mourinho joked.
Mourinho once again denied speculation of a potential return to Madrid as coach, despite forward Vinícius Júnior praising him ahead of Tuesday’s encounter in Lisbon, claiming that the Portuguese manager “changed the club’s history a little” during his three seasons (2010-13) with the Spanish giants.
“I don’t want to feed stories that don’t exist,” Mourinho said on Monday. “The only thing that exists is that I have one year left on my contract with Benfica. It’s a special contract as it was signed during [the club’s] presidential election process.
“It has a clause that can easily be broken by me or Benfica. There’s zero with Real Madrid.
“I would love to eliminate Real Madrid, but I would love for Alvaro [Arbeloa] to win LaLiga and to remain at Madrid for many years.
“He is very capable, has a lot of Madridista in him and has the personality to coach Real Madrid, which is not for everyone.”
Mourinho, 63, guided Madrid to a LaLiga title, and Copa del Rey and Spanish Supercup triumphs and takes a lot of pride in his time at Madrid.
“I gave everything to Real Madrid,” he said. “Everything that I had. I’ve done good and bad things but I gave my all and that’s it. When a professional leaves a club with that feeling there ends up being a life-time connection.
“I left 12 years ago and I’ve always had the feeling and the affection is there.”
Mourinho also said he expects a different Los Blancos, who appointed Arbeloa last month following the sacking of Xabi Alonso and go into the game on the back of three straight league wins.
“I expect tomorrow the Real Madrid that is the main contender to win the Champions League,” Mourinho said. “Beating Real Madrid once is very difficult, beating them twice is much harder. Winning three times, or even in a knockout tie, is even more difficult.
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“Even more important is their motivation to win the Champions League, not to eliminate Benfica. That’s their objective. And that’s their greatest strength for this match. For our part, we won in our previous meeting and we know why. But we know that the match won’t be a repeat and that they’ve evolved significantly as a team in a short time.
“What I ask of my players is to play with the joy of those that deserve to be here and they deserve to be here. Perhaps it’s better to be here against the great Real Madrid than against a lower-level team.”
The return leg will be played on Feb. 25 at the Bernabeu stadium.
“We’ll enjoy tomorrow’s match,” Mourinho said. “We hope for a result that leaves us with a good feeling. Then we will go to Madrid to compete and we’ll go there with joy and without pressure.”
Information from The Associated Press was used in this story.
