In under an hour, Real Madrid lock horns with Jose Mourinho’s SL Benfica in the UEFA Champions League, aiming to secure a direct pathway through to the Round of 16 by finishing in the top eight.
Manager Alvaro Arbeloa, who has led the team to three wins in a row after a disastrous start to his tenure against Albacete, has already announced the starting lineup.
And the Real Madrid head coach has stuck with the attacking trident of Vinicius Jr., Kylian Mbappe, and Franco Mastantuono once again, leaving out the likes of Rodrygo, Brahim Diaz, and Gonzalo Garcia.
Unbeaten trio
What bodes well for Real Madrid heading into the Benfica tie is that have won every match in which they have started with the attacking unit of Vinicius, Mbappe, and Mastantuono.
The trio has started together in seven matches, registering seven wins, in which the Merengues have scored 26 goals and conceded only four.
The latest success came against Villarreal this past weekend, where the winning run with the three forwards together was extended.
Real Madrid have not lost a game when Mastantuono, Mbappe, and Vini have started. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
Mbappe, Vinicius and Mastantuono first started together in attack against Mallorca on Matchday 3 of La Liga – the third frontline that former manager Xabi Alonso had tried in as many games.
With the team winning vs Mallorca, Alonso felt he had found the right combination with Mastantuono alongside Mbappe and Vinicius.
Real Madrid went on to win against Levante, Kairat Almaty, Villarreal and Valencia with this attacking trio. Alonso opted to break the partnership for the derby against Atletico Madrid between this streak, where the Merengues suffered their first defeat of the season.
Mastantuono then spent significant time on the sidelines due to pubalgia issues and found minutes hard to come by after returning, with Rodrygo gaining prominence.
Over the past week, though, Arbeloa has reinstated the attacking trio of Mbappe, Vinicius, and Mastantuono, and it has yielded positive results – against Monaco and Villarreal. And, fans will hope that the winning run continues tonight against Benfica.
