Article by Alexandru Tomuțiu – Published Tuesday, January 27, 2026, 6:55 p.m. / Updated Tuesday, January 27, 2026, 6:55 p.m.
Benfica manager Jose Mourinho spoke at his press conference ahead of tomorrow's match against his former club Real Madrid in the last leg of the Champions League group stage. The Portuguese need a win to have a chance of qualifying among the top 24 teams.
“We have nothing to lose. We will play against a great team and great players. You kill or you die. We will try to do that tomorrow with balance. Without balance, Real Madrid will punish us. Our defeat against Leverkusen, when we should have won, was crucial,” Mourinho began at the conference.
Jose Mourinho ahead of Benfica – Real Madrid: “Arbeloa and Chivu are my boys”
The coach was then asked if he had spoken to Alvaro Arbeloa, his Real Madrid counterpart and former pupil, and replied:
“I haven't spoken to him. Having my phone number is very complicated because the only one that's permanent is the club phone. And my family phone. My other phone changes. There are people who lose contact with me, and I lose it.
Between him and me it doesn't take a call to wish us luck. He already knows that. And about the match… It's simple. If we don't win, we're eliminated. Draw or lose. If we win, we will find out in the locker room if we qualified or not.
Arbeloa can coach any club in the world. Real Madrid can be managed by any coach in the world and I want them to do well. I wish him luck, except for tomorrow, after that he can always win.
I love Arbeloa and Real Madrid. I can't give him advice. The important thing is that he is happy. Being a coach is a difficult mission because there are many people who criticize you and talk about you every day.”
The technician was also reminded of his recent statement, in which he expressed his astonishment at how inexperienced coaches take over big clubs in European football, and he said:
“The question at the time was about Spalletti, and my answer is about him. In 2000, Benfica called a coach who had never coached anyone. That coach didn't answer because he thought they wanted him as an assistant. That happened to me.
To you Spaniards, it is good to talk about Arbeloa, and to Italians – about Chivu. They are both my boys, my former players and they are special. From a human point of view, he is one of my favorite players. He wasn't the best, but maybe he was one of the best men in Madrid. I hope that Arbeloa will do very well and have a fantastic career”.
Cristi Chivu was designated “Coach of the Year” 2025, in the Gazeta Sporturilor Survey
Under Mourinho, Chivu won the Champions League with Inter in 2010, the most important trophy of his career.
You never know what can happen. You analyze, you develop your game plan, but there is always a dose of unpredictability. We have to respect the nature of football and prepare as well as possible. Let's play with respect.
We know the opponent, but we also know who we are. We are not interested in the other results. Only if we win can we think about whether they will be favorable for us. The objective is one.
– Jose Mourinho, Benfica coach
