Heads up, Benfica! Real Madrid hit by major new setback | OneFootball

Real Madrid will host Benfica next Wednesday in the second leg of the Champions League playoff, with another player out. Midfielder Dani Ceballos sustained a muscle injury in the match against Osasuna (1-2), where he was a starter, and faces a break that could last up to six weeks.

Besides the Spanish international, Dean Huijsen is expected to be absent. The defender finished the match at Luz injured, with muscle problems in his right calf. The 20-year-old center-back will be replaced by Raúl Asencio, who served a suspension after being sent off in the previous visit to Benfica.

Jude Bellingham, injured, and Rodrygo, suspended, will remain unavailable for coach Álvaro Arbeloa's selections. On Benfica's side, Nuno Félix and João Veloso are out of the lineup, and Georgiy Sudakov might join this list due to a back strain.

The coming days will be filled with great anticipation, both for Gianluca Prestianni and Benfica. According to reports, the Eagles are awaiting UEFA's decision regarding the investigation into what happened in the first leg. However, José Mourinho does not want to leave the player out for the clash with the "merengues" and increase the number of unavailable players.

The Benfica team will return to the field next Wednesday, February 25, against Real Madrid. The match, part of the second leg of the Champions League playoff, will be played at 8:00 PM at the Bernabéu.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.