The second leg between Real Madrid and Benfica will be played this week, on Wednesday, February 25, 2026 at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Last week, Real Madrid defeated Benfica 1-0 in the first leg away in Lisbon, Portugal. The match saw the controversial moment between Benfica's Ginaluca Prestianni and Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior, where Prestianni allegedly made a racist comment towards Vinicius Jr.
Vinicius Junior and Prestianni continued playing after the incident, and the post-match led to many Real Madrid players supporting Vinicius while Benfica's manager, Jose Mourinho, and the club defended Prestianni.
Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images
Ahead of the second leg this week, UEFA has decided to officially suspend Gianluca Prestianni for the match on Wednesday in Madrid, Spain, as the investigation into the incident continues.
UEFA's Statement on Gianluca Prestianni
Just days before the seocnd leg of the knockout stage playoff match between Real Madrid and Benfica in the Champions League, UEFA made a statement referring to the match ban for Gianluca Prestianni.
Prestianni will not play the match as he received a one-game suspension in the Champions League.
UEFA's statement read, "Following the appointment of a UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector (EDI) to investigate allegations of discriminatory behaviour during the UEFA Champions League 2025/2026 Knock-out Play-off match between SL Benfica and Real Madrid CF on 17 February 2026...the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) today decided to provisionally suspend Mr. Gianluca Prestianni for the next (1) UEFA club competition match."
Benfica manager Jose Mourinho will reportedly not attend the pre-match press conference for the Real Madrid vs Benfica second leg. Mourinho is also suspended for the match after receiving a red card in the first leg last week.