Mbappe, Bellingham and Every Real Madrid Player Out of Second Leg vs. Benfica

With their Champions League campaign on the line, Real Madrid will be without six crucial players when they face off with Benfica in the second leg of the knockout phase playoffs.

The 15-time European champions are still ruing their league phase blunder against Benfica that dropped them from third to ninth in the table on the final matchday. What was supposed to be a rather easy February suddenly turned hectic with two massive games added to the calendar.

Los Blancos managed a 1–0 win in the first leg of their tie with Benfica thanks to a masterful goal from Vinicius Junior, but the job is not done. If Álvaro Arbeloa’s men want to secure their place in the Champions League last 16, they need to survive the second leg at the Bernabéu.

Pulling out another positive result against the Portuguese outfit will not be easy, though, considering the big names missing from Real Madrid’s squad.

Every Real Madrid Player Out of Benfica Clash

Kylian Mbappé (Injured)

All signs pointed to Kylian Mbappé leading the line against Benfica until the eve of the clash, when he could not complete training. The Frenchman’s nagging knee injury flared up and further tests confirmed a setback, one major enough to keep Real Madrid’s leading goalscorer out of action.

Mbappé was officially not called up for the second leg in the early hours of Wednesday and reports indicate the forward will miss at least the next three games for Los Blancos against Benfica, Getafe and Celta Vigo.

Replacing the output the France international provides is impossible; Mbappé has scored 38 goals across all competitions for Real Madrid this season. Vinicius Junior sits second in scoring with 12.

Jude Bellingham (Injured)

Jude Bellingham has been out since the first weekend of February, sidelined with a long-term hamstring injury. The England international pulled up in the early stages against Rayo Vallecano and limped off the pitch in tears—a sight that showed the severity of the problem.

The injury was only supposed to keep Bellingham in the infirmary until the early weeks of March, but a reported setback indicates the midfielder might be out until after the March international window. Should that be the case, the 22-year-old would miss out of the Champions League round of 16 ... should Real Madrid advance.

Rodrygo (Suspended/Injured)

Another blow to Arbeloa’s attack comes in the shape of Rodrygo. The Brazilian, who was finally rediscovering his form at the end of 2025, has been nursing a nagging hamstring injury of his own.

The issue has kept Rodrygo out of action since the team’s 2–1 victory over Rayo Vallecano on Feb. 1. Even if he did recover in time to possibly feature off the bench against Benfica, the winger is suspended for the clash after he was sent off in Real Madrid’s final league phase match for dissent.

UEFA handed Rodrygo a two-match ban for abusive language, ruling him out of the knockout phase playoffs.

Dean Huijsen (Injured)

Fitness issues have plagued Dean Huijsen’s debut season in a white shirt. Every time it looks like the Spaniard is finally hitting his stride, another injury appears and forces him back to the sidelines.

This time, it is a muscle injury in his calf that prevents Huijsen from featuring in the second leg against Benfica. The center back played arguably the best game of his early tenure in a white shirt in the first leg, but is now reduced to a mere spectator.

Real Madrid hope to get Huijsen back for their La Liga bout with Getafe on Monday, Mar. 2.

Éder Militão (Injured)

At any point in the last three seasons, Éder Militão had a better chance of being on the treatment table than the pitch. The Brazilian came back from back-to-back ACL injuries at the start of 2025–26 and looked to be in his best form until he tore his hamstring in December.

Militão was suddenly back on the sidelines, this time for four months, leaving Real Madrid without their best center back. Barring any setbacks, the 28-year-old is expected to return in April, but the club will proceed with extreme caution given his injury history and the 2026 World Cup looming.

Dani Ceballos (Injured)

Perhaps the least consequential absence for Real Madrid on Wednesday is Dani Ceballos. The midfielder suffered a calf injury at the weekend and is looking at up to two months in the infirmary.

The injury came after a brief eight-minute cameo against Osasuna, a performance that saw Ceballos commit the error that led to the opponents’ game-winning goal in stoppage time. The blunder would have made Arbeloa think twice about deploying the Spaniard against Benfica, but now the decision was made for the manager.