Real Madrid head coach Alvaro Arbeloa has stated that the club has massive ambitions beyond eliminating Benfica from the UEFA Champions League.
According to the former Real Madrid defender, the club aims to win the Champions League altogether and not just beat Benfica to progress to the round of 16 stage.
He said this according to the club’s media ahead of Real Madrid’s first leg tie against Benfica in Portugal on Tuesday, February 17.
The two teams faced off in the group stage and Benfica registered a shock 4-2 win to qualify to the playoff stage and ahead of the game, Arbeloa downplayed the quest for revenge from his team.
“We always think about winning. Our goal is not just to eliminate Benfica; our goal is to win the Champions because that’s what this badge demands.”
Alvaro Arbeloa, head coach of Real Madrid, attends his press conference during the training day of Real Madrid ahead the Spanish Cup, Copa del Rey, football match against Albacete Balompie at Ciudad Deportiva Real Madrid (Photo By Dennis Agyeman/Europa Press via Getty Images)
“For us, it’s not revenge but an objective to advance through the playoff, and that’s why we are here. For us, it’s a new match. We’re not thinking about anything else” Arbeloa said.
Anatoliy Trubin of Benfica celebrates scoring his team’s fourth goal with a header with teammates during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD8 match between SL Benfica and Real Madrid (Photo by Jose Manuel Alvarez Rey/Getty Images)
