Arbeloa reveals the secret of his grey sofa - no place for Mou there
Reading Time: 2min | Tue. 17.02.26. | 13:45
Real Madrid coach says he wouldn't invite his Benfica counterpart to sit in his office ahead of their Champions League playoffs clash on Tuesday night (11 pm)
Alvaro Arbeloa ran into a tough challenge right at the beginning of his time as Real Madrid coach, just a few weeks ago.
Real Madrid lost 4-2 to Jose Mourinho's Benfica in Lisbon, with Benfica's goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin scoring a stoppage-time goal that sent Los Blancos straight to the playoffs. Now, the two teams will meet again in a two-legged knockout round.
The first match is tonight at Estadio da Luz at 11 pm, and the second leg will be next week at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Arbeloa and Mourinho, who used to be his coach at Madrid, know each other well. Still, the current Los Blancos boss isn't planning to share his coaching plans with his former boss.
He also didn't want to discuss the idea of Mourinho coming back to the Bernabeu as Real Madrid coach instead of leading Benfica next week.
Some have suggested Mourinho could replace Arbeloa if the team's results don't get better by the end of the season.
Moreover, Arbeloa revealed that he likes to have personal talks with his players on the grey sofa in his office. Journalists asked him if he would invite his former manager to sit there before the second match in Madrid.
"No… well… if I invite him, it'll be for lunch. He doesn't need to sit there. You know we're good friends, we wish each other the best, and we have a great relationship."
Before Arbeloa's press conference, Mourinho said he wasn't planning to take Arbeloa's job, even though his Benfica contract has a clause that lets him leave early.
"As I just answered, I can only say that I always wish Jose the best. My goal is to eliminate Benfica, obviously, and then for him to win everything. And from there, I wish him all the best."
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - PLAYOFFS
First leg
Tuesday
20.45: (3.60) Galatasaray (3.50) Juventus (2.15)
23.00: (4.20) Benfica (3.60) Real Madrid (1.95)
23.00: (2.10) Dortmund (3.50) Atalanta (3.80)
23.00: (5.70) Monaco (4.50) PSG (1.60)
Wednesday
20.45: (7.75) Qarabag (4.50) Newcastle (1.42)
23.00: (5.00) Bodo (3.90) Inter (1.68)
23.00: (3.85) Club Brugge (3.90) Atl.Madrid (1.95)
23.00: (2.50) Olympiakos (3.35) Leverkusen (2.85)
***odds are subject to change***