It was a busy night of Champions League action last night, as the opening league phase games took place across Europe.
Arsenal won away at Athletic Bilbao, there was a 4-4 thriller between Juventus and Borussia Dortmund, settled by a late Lloyd Kelly goal, Real Madrid came from behind to beat Marseille and Union SG shocked PSV with a 3-1 win in Eindhoven.
But the biggest shock saw Benfica lose at home to Qarabag. The Azerbaijani side are currently 7th in their own league and were 2-0 down after 16 minutes, only to come back and win 3-2!
That defeat did not go down well in Lisbon, with Benfica chiefs moving to sack manager Bruno Lage overnight, leaving the former Wolves boss out of work and the Portuguese giants in need of a replacement five weeks before their trip to Tyneside.
Straight after his sacking, none other than Jose Mourinho has been targeted, with the former Chelsea, Inter, Real Madrid and Man Utd boss now closing in on a return to the place where his managerial career first started 25 years ago.
On Tuesday 21st October, Mourinho looks set to be in the dugout for Benfica’s Champions League trip to St James’ Park, with that coming after two other heavyweight ties.
Before the self-proclaimed ‘little magpie’ arrives on Tyneside, Mourinho’s first Champions League game back will be a trip to Stamford Bridge and former club Chelsea, with Benfica also playing Porto in the league days before they come to Newcastle.
Mourinho left his role at Fenerbahce, with the 62-year-old ironically sacked after losing to Benfica in a Champions League qualifier last month.
🦅🇪🇺 If José Mourinho signs for Benfica as deal is very close, this would be the Champions League schedule.
🔙 Chelsea
🏴 Newcastle
🇩🇪 Leverkusen
🇳🇱 Ajax
🇮🇹 Napoli
🇮🇹 Juventus
🔙 Real Madrid pic.twitter.com/UpGNAWfNpf— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 17, 2025
