Real Madrid to play Benfica, PSG face Monaco in Champions League play-offs

PARIS – Real Madrid were handed a quick rematch with Jose Mourinho’s Benfica in the Jan 30 draw for the Champions League play-off round, while reigning European champions Paris Saint-Germain will face domestic rivals Monaco.

Benfica beat Real 4-2 in their final game of the league phase

on Jan 28, with a dramatic 98th-minute goal by goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin proving decisive in allowing the Portuguese side to snatch the last play-off spot ahead of Marseille, who were eliminated.

The defeat also nudged Real out of the top eight places, which give direct access to the last 16, and forced them into this extra round.

Benfica staged a remarkable recovery to take a play-off place – they finished 24th in the 36-team league phase, the last qualifying spot – by winning three of their last four matches after losing their first four.

Former Real player and coach Jorge Valdano was quoted by Madrid-based Diario AS as saying: “It’s an uncertain tie for Real. Three days ago, we would have assessed it differently, but Benfica know how to play against them. Mourinho understands exactly what troubles Real.”

Benfica director of football Mario Branco added: “We already showed that we can do it, that we stay fully switched on until the end. Over two legs it will be even harder, and we’ll face a much angrier Real.”

Mourinho, 63, returned to the Lisbon giants for a second spell as coach in September. He was in charge of Real from 2010 to 2013, winning one La Liga title and one Copa del Rey while also taking them to the Champions League semi-finals in each of his three campaigns with the Spanish side.

The clubs played each other in the 1962 European Cup final, with Benfica winning 5-3 to claim the last of their two titles to date.

PSG slipped out of the top eight after winning only one of their last five outings in the league phase and finishing in 11th place.

They will go to Monaco for the first leg and be wary of the principality side who beat them there in Ligue 1 in November.

Champions League finalists in 2024, Monaco have been in poor form with just one win in six matches in all competitions since the turn of the year, but a 0-0 draw with Juventus on Jan 28 was enough to secure a play-off place in Europe.

PSG also beat French opposition in the play-off round last season, hammering Brest 10-0 on aggregate before going on to lift the trophy for the first time in their history.

Meanwhile, Newcastle United will be strong favourites against surprise packages Qarabag of Azerbaijan, with the first leg to come in Baku.

“Whoever we get it will be a great moment for us. We head with real positivity and I am excited to see who we get,” said Magpies boss Eddie Howe in an earlier press conference to preview this weekend’s English Premier League clash against Liverpool.

PSG and Newcastle know that if they win, they will play either Barcelona or Chelsea in the last 16. Real’s possible last-16 opponents are Manchester City or Sporting Lisbon, which would mean yet another trip to the Portuguese capital in the latter case.

Bodo/Glimt, Norwegian champions in four of the last six years, were also surprise qualifiers for this stage and have been rewarded with a tie against last season’s runners-up Inter Milan.

Said Inter coach Cristian Chivu: “Bodo/Glimt have proven themselves, in this first phase, to be a threat to major clubs, both at home and on the road.”

Juventus will take on Galatasaray, while Atletico Madrid face Club Brugge. Borussia Dortmund play Atalanta, and Bayer Leverkusen were drawn against Olympiacos.

The two-legged play-off ties will take place in February, with the winners advancing to the last 16 in March. The round of 16 draw will take place on Feb 27.

Already through to that stage are the top eight teams from the league phase, including five English Premier League sides in Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and City, as well as Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Sporting.

This season’s Champions League final will be played in Budapest on May 30. AFP