José Mourinho said on Saturday that he has had no contact with Real Madrid, as repeated stories linked him again to the Spanish club before Benfica’s last home match of the season against SC Braga. He said he will not speak with anyone from Madrid, including Florentino Pérez, until after Benfica’s final league game against Estoril.
“I did not have any contact, neither with the president nor with any of the important people in the structure,” Mourinho said, adding that there will be no conversations until the last league match is played. “After that, there is a one-week window, where I will have freedom to speak with whoever I think I should speak with,” he said, before dismissing the reports as speculation.
The remarks came as Benfica prepare for a game Mourinho said they must win. “Tomorrow we do not have to simulate states of mind because the objective is clear: we have to win, we have no other solution,” he said. Benfica enter the match needing victory to keep depending only on themselves, with Mourinho saying the team goes into the final round with that ambition. He described the squad as being in the mindset of “playing two finals.”
The Benfica coach also confirmed two absences. Nicolás Otamendi is out, which Mourinho called an important loss because the captain has been almost always available and has played whenever he could. Richard Ríos is also unavailable. At the same time, Tomás Araújo trained without any limitation on Friday and Saturday and will play, as will António Silva. Mourinho said Gonçalo Oliveira did not play for Benfica B on Sunday against Académico de Viseu so he could be on the bench and provide cover in that position.
The match against Braga carries added weight because it is Benfica’s last home game of the season, while the visitors arrive after having their league match moved to Monday by regulation and fairness following a Europa League outing during the week. Mourinho also pointed back to Benfica’s previous match at Famalicão, where he said the team produced 60 minutes of fantastic quality but still did not win. That leaves Benfica with no room to drift now: they need the result, and they need it at home.
