Confirmed Starting Lineup For Benfica vs Real Madrid As Arbeloa Makes One Change

Real Madrid take on Benfica at the Estádio da Luz in the final game of the league phase of the Champions League. A win is vital for both teams, as the Portuguese side will be eliminated from the competition if they don't earn three points. Los Blancos know anything but a win puts them at risk of missing out on the top eight.
After the impressive win over Villarreal in La Liga this past weekend, the question was whether head coach Álvaro Arbeloa would make any changes to that side.
Midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni missed the weekend's game due to suspension, with Eduardo Camavinga stepping in. The latter does make way for his international teammate.

In the last Champions League game against Monaco, Camavinga played at left-back, covering for another suspension in Alvaro Carreras. The Spanish defender is also back in the team, having been part of the win over Villarreal.
Rodrygo has been back for a few games, but young Franco Mastantuono continues to play, with Arbeloa a big fan of the 18-year-old. Kylian Mbappe will be looking to add more goals, sitting on 11 and aiming to break more records.
Real Madrid starting lineup vs Benfica:

1. Courtois
8. Valverde
17. Asencio
24. Huijsen
18. Carreras
14. Tchouaméni
5. Bellingham
15. Guler
30. Mastantuono
10. Mbappe
7. Vini Jr.
📋✅ Our starting XI!
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) January 28, 2026
🆚 @slbenfica_en pic.twitter.com/AUWVrZmjJb
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Jordan Merritt is a staff writer for Real Madrid On SI. Before joining On SI, he wrote at Fansided, covering Ole Miss football, basketball, and baseball. He has also written for YardBarker, Heavy Sports, and the official EFL site. Merritt is a big sports fan, spending most of his weekends watching Soccer, the NFL, the NBA, college football/basketball, and others. Before starting his career as a freelance writer, Merritt was an Engineer for over 10 years. He lives in West Yorkshire, England, and is keenly interested in sports trading cards.
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