Arbeloa wary of Benfica threat ahead of Champions League play-off

Alvaro Arbeloa

Real Madrid boss Alvaro Arbeloa insisted his team will be on their toes when they face a familiar foe in Benfica during the first leg of the UEFA Champions League play-off on Tuesday.

Jose Mourinho's team had stunned Los Blancos 2-1 in the final league stage game, to not just book their own berth in the play-off, but also scupper Real Madrid's chance of bypassing this round altogether.

Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe during a training session on Sunday. Pic/Getty Images

"I hope history does not repeat itself. We are prepared for the difficulty of the match, the opponent, the atmosphere, and what awaits us on Tuesday. It's 180 minutes, and we have to play a great game there. We cannot settle for just any result; we have to go out to win that match. We have it the loss very fresh in our minds, so we know how complicated it will be," said Arbeloa.

Three
No. of times Real Madrid have lost to Benfica in four meeting across all European competitions

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