Arbeloa will call Mourinho again

Barcelona"I could call Mourinho at three in the morning and he'd answer." That's what Álvaro Arbeloa said before visiting Benfica's stadium on the final matchday of the Champions League group stage. It was a crazy match that went to the home side (4-2) with a goal from goalkeeper Trubin in the 98th minute, which secured the Portuguese team's place in the round of 32 (a 3-2 victory would have eliminated them on goal difference). Real Madrid's defeat – combined with the other results of the day – also dropped them from third to ninth place and forced them to play this qualifying round to reach the round of 16. The draw has pitted Arbeloa against Mourinho once again. The first leg will be on February 17th or 18th at the Estádio da Luz, while the second leg will be on February 24th or 25th at the Bernabéu.

Benfica will arrive with the hope and motivation of once again surprising Real Madrid. A heated match is expected after Mourinho – who later apologized in a press conference – celebrated Trubin's goal in front of the Real Madrid bench. The tie will also mark the Portuguese manager's return to the Bernabéu, where he hasn't been since leaving the Real Madrid bench in 2013. In fact, this will be only the third (and fourth) time Mourinho has faced Real Madrid since his time at the club. The first time they met was in 2017, when Real Madrid – managed by Zinedine Zidane – won 2-1 in the UEFA Super Cup final at Manchester United, while the second time was this Wednesday in the Benfica-Real Madrid match.

Barça, waiting in the wings

The winner of this tie will face either Manchester City or Sporting Lisbon in the round of 16. Their opponent will be decided in the draw on February 27, which will determine the entire bracket leading up to the final in Budapest on May 30. Barcelona's tie will also be decided that same day. Hansi Flick's side already knows they will play either the winner of Monaco-PSG or the winner of Qarabag-Newcastle. The other Spanish team, Atlético Madrid, will play Club Brugge in the round of 32, with the second leg at the Metropolitano Stadium on either February 24 or 25.