Sports News of Monday, 16 February 2026
Source: www.dailypost.ng
Former Chelsea, Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Tottenham Hotspur boss, Jose Mourinho, has named the favourite club to win the Champions League trophy this season.
Mourinho, who now manages Benfica, would be out against his former team, Los Blancos, in the Champions League playoffs on Tuesday night.
To qualify for the playoff, Benfica had to fight hard to earn a shocking 4-2 victory over Real Madrid in the group stages and the defeat stopped La Liga giants from earning an automatic ticket to the knockout stage.
So, one of the most interesting fixtures in the playoff was Benfica being paired with Real Madrid after the two teams clashed on the last day of the league phase with Jose Mourinho’s men winning 4-2 in Portugal.
Mourinho was seen punching the air and making gestures towards Real Madrid fans, right in front of his former player Arbeloa, who now is the manager at Santiago Benabeu.
Speaking ahead of another clash between the two teams, the legendary manager told reporters that his former side are not just the kings of Champions League but the favourites to win the Europe elite competition.
“When a Real Madrid player offered me his shirt after the game… I jokingly showed my colleagues the symbol on it, the 15 Champions Leagues,” Mourinho said.
“They’re the kings. It’s not just history; we’re going to play against the favourites of this competition”.

