Mourinho Is One Of Us, Says Arbeloa As Real Madrid Face Benfica In Champions League

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Real Madrid visit Benfica in Lisbon on Wednesday knowing victory will confirm a top-eight finish in the Champions League league phase and automatic progress to the last 16, while the match also reunites Alvaro Arbeloa with former coach Jose Mourinho on opposite sides of the technical area.

Madrid currently sit third in the 36-team standings and travel to the Estadio da Luz aware that three points will secure their place among the top eight. Benfica stand 29th with six points from seven games and must win to keep any realistic chance of reaching the play-offs.

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The league phase picture places heavy pressure on both teams. Madrid can relax slightly, knowing a draw would still leave qualification likely, but are targeting a decisive win. Benfica face a far narrower path, as anything less than victory will leave Mourinho's side almost certainly out of contention for the knockout rounds.

Arbeloa, now 43, steps into this meeting after working under Mourinho at Real Madrid, where the pair celebrated LaLiga, Copa del Rey and Supercopa de Espana titles. Arbeloa made 121 appearances for Mourinho and now faces the Portuguese coach competitively for the first time as Madrid head coach.

I said it on my first day [as coach], there will never be anyone like Jose, Arbeloa said. Jose always will be one of us. Anyone who tries to imitate him will fail, and I've understood that from day one. My success will be being myself.

Arbeloa took charge earlier this month, succeeding another former Mourinho player, Xabi Alonso. The appointment followed Madrid's shock Copa del Rey elimination against Albacete, which came in Arbeloa's debut. Since that defeat, Madrid have responded with three straight wins in all competitions, including a 6-1 victory over Monaco in their penultimate league phase fixture.

Real Madrid vs Benfica Champions League history and Mourinho record

Wednesday's game also returns Madrid to the stadium where the club lifted the Champions League in 2014, beating Atletico Madrid 4-1 after extra-time for a 10th European crown. Mourinho had left a year earlier, having guided Madrid to three consecutive Champions League semi-finals without reaching the final itself.

The match adds another chapter to Mourinho's mixed history against his former club. The Benfica coach has never beaten Madrid in five attempts in all competitions, with one draw and four losses. Los Blancos remain the side Mourinho has faced most frequently without recording a single win in managerial competition.

Mourinho has been linked with a possible return to Real Madrid, although the Benfica coach has played down that speculation. Arbeloa avoided engaging with those rumours when asked, choosing instead to underline Mourinho's influence on Madrid's modern era and on Arbeloa's own development as a coach.

Real Madrid vs Benfica Champions League legacy and relationship

I know who Mourinho is, I know what his phone must be like, Arbeloa said. You can understand why he changes his number so often. I've tried to 'bother' him as little as possible. But he's one of those friends you can go a long time without speaking to, and then if you call him at 3 a.m., I'm sure he'd answer.

I don't like to talk about hypotheticals, Arbeloa said. What the victory here 12 years ago meant deserves so much credit, just like Carlo [Ancelotti]'s or [Zinedine] Zidane's later on. But Mourinho laid the foundations for those years. That's something I feel. I believe he's always been valued within the club. And that's why he was, is, and always will be one of us.

As Real Madrid chase a top-eight place and Benfica fight to stay alive in the competition, the contest brings together current stakes and shared history. Arbeloa leads an in-form Madrid against Mourinho's side, while both coaches return to a stadium that shaped Madrid's recent European story and still reflects Mourinho's earlier work.