A goal down and carrying an uneasy baggage of a racism drama from last week in Lisbon, Benfica are travelling to Madrid to take on the mighty Real, the Los Blancos at the epic Estadio Bernabeu tonight.
The 1st leg in the UEFA Champions League, Round of 16 playoffs, in Lisbon resulted in Real Madrid winning by a brilliant Vinicius Jr strike. However, what transpired soon after made more news than the match itself.
Vinicius Jr alleged a racial slur against him, which brought the match to a halt, heightened emotions from both sides, resulting in a red card to Jose Mourinho, Benfica’s Manager.
The Portuguese side bore the brunt of severe criticism from across the world as the majority backed Vinicius Jr in no uncertain terms.
With a background so explosive, Benfica are not going to find it easy at the Bernabeu. The partisan crowd would be gunning for them and the mighty Los Blancos will be looking to seal the contest with another win on their home ground. Vinicius Jr and Kylian Mbappe will be in their elements for sure.
Benfica might just find themselves amidst a burning cauldron without their Manager in the dugout.
Real Madrid may just sail through tonight.
We shall find out.