Real Madrid travels to Estadio da Luz for their last Champions League group-stage match against Benfica this Wednesday.
The hosts are on the brink of elimination and must secure an upset to have any hope of advancing to the knockout stages.
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Madrid convincingly defeated Villarreal in their recent La Liga match at the Estadio de la Ceramica.
Kylian Mbappe’s second-half brace propelled Los Blancos to the top of La Liga temporarily, before Barcelona claimed victory over newly-promoted Oviedo.
Having won their last three matches, including a 6-1 thrashing of Monaco in their latest European fixture, Madrid returns to Estadio da Luz for the first time since their Champions League final win against Atletico Madrid in 2014.
This matchup marks the first competitive encounter between the two clubs, with their last meeting occurring in a friendly 14 years ago.
Currently sitting third in their Champions League group, a loss to Benfica could see Madrid drop out of the top eight, potentially forcing them to face playoffs for a consecutive season.
Benfica was dealt a significant blow to their hopes of reaching the last-16 with a 2-0 defeat to Juventus on matchday seven, leaving them in 29th place, two points behind Olympiacos in 24th.
Fortunately for Jose Mourinho’s squad, they bounced back domestically with a 4-0 victory over Estrela on Sunday, marking their second win in five matches after previously going 11 games unbeaten.
Back on the international stage, however, Benfica has struggled, losing five of their seven matches while conceding fewer goals than 20 of the 36 teams in the tournament, leaving them with no room for error.
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The hosts have won their last four home games and will be counting on their fans’ support as they strive for a vital victory against a more renowned opponent.
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Benfica will be without Alexander Bah and Nuno Felix, who are still recovering from knee injuries, as well as Dodi Lukebakio, who is sidelined with a broken ankle.
Richard Rios, Joao Veloso, and Samuel Soares will also miss the match, although Benfica may welcome back Henrique Araujo.
Vangelis Pavlidis has been in fine form, scoring six goals in six matches since the beginning of the year, making him one to watch.
On the other side, Trent Alexander-Arnold has faced an injury-plagued debut season with Madrid and is still dealing with a thigh issue.
The former Liverpool player joins three other defenders on the sidelines: Eder Militao (hamstring), Ferland Mendy (calf), and Antonio Rudiger (knee).
Kylian Mbappe, with 11 goals in his last six matches, is currently leading the race for the Golden Boot and will look to add to his tally.
Benfica Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Trubin; Dedic, Araujo, Otamendi, Dahl; Aursnes, Barrenechea; Prestianni, Sudakov, Schjeldeerup; Pavlidis.
Real Madrid Predicted XI (4-3-3): Courtois; Carreras, Huijsen, Asencio, Valverde; Bellingham, Tchouameni, Guler; Vinicius, Mbappe, Mastantuono.
Prediction: Benfica 1-3 Real Madrid.