La Liga giants Real Madrid will be pitted against one of two teams in the playoff round in this season’s Champions League.
This comes fresh off an outing to forget for Los Blancos on Wednesday.
Álvaro Arbeloa’s troops were of course back in action a short time ago, making the trip to Lisbon for a league phase final day showdown with Benfica.
When all was said and done in a pulsating contest, Real Madrid were condemned to a damaging 4-2 defeat.
As much means that the Spanish heavyweights have been knocked out of the top-8 places in the Champions League table.
They will in turn be forced to navigate the playoffs in this year’s tournament.
And owing to their 9th-placed finish, Real are aware that one of two clubs await them in the next round.
Los Merengues will be pitted against either Bodø/Glimt or, remarkably, the team who bested them this evening, in José Mourinho’s Benfica.
Conor Laird – GSFN
