Mourinho speaks out about the possibility of returning to manage Real Madrid.

Ahead of their Champions League rematch, Jose Mourinho warned that Real Madrid are very dangerous but insisted that Benfica only need to perform at their best, not for a miracle.

Mourinho spoke about the possibility of returning to the Real Madrid coaching position. Photo: Reuters .

Jose Mourinho once again heated up the atmosphere ahead of the Champions League clash by calling Real Madrid "the wounded king" after their 2-4 defeat to Benfica in the group stage.

However, the Portuguese strategist believes his team is perfectly capable of causing another surprise in Lisbon.

Three weeks ago, Benfica beat Real Madrid 4-2 thanks to a last-minute goal from goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin, securing the final spot in the knockout round and knocking the 15-time champions out of the eight teams that automatically qualified for the round of 16. Now, the two teams meet again in the first leg of the knockout stage.

"They are wounded. And a wounded king is very dangerous," Mourinho said. "We will play with a clear head, with ambition and confidence. We know what we did to the kings of the Champions League."

Mourinho also denied the possibility of a return to Bernabeu, despite praise from Vinicius Junior. He insisted he had one year left on his contract with Benfica and had no contact with Real Madrid. "I don't want to fuel stories that don't exist," he said.

The 63-year-old strategist still holds great respect for his former club, where he won La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the Spanish Super Cup. He also highly regards the new coach, Alvaro Arbeloa, who recently took over Real Madrid after Xabi Alonso was sacked.

"Beating Real Madrid once is difficult, twice is even harder. But football has its own power and we can win," Mourinho affirmed.

The second leg will take place on February 25th at the Bernabeu. For now, Mourinho wants his players to enjoy the opportunity to face the European champions. For him, facing Real Madrid in the knockout round is perhaps even more meaningful than winning against a less well-known opponent.

A crazy goal in the 90+8th minute of the Champions League : In the early hours of January 29th, goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin stunned everyone by scoring in the 90+8th minute to help Benfica beat Real Madrid 4-2 in the final matchday of the 2025/26 Champions League qualifying round.

Source: https://znews.vn/mourinho-len-tieng-ve-kha-nang-tro-lai-dan-dat-real-post1628690.html