Benfica has appealed the one-match suspension of their Argentine player Gianluca Prestiani, pending the completion of an investigation into a racist incident involving Real Madrid's Brazilian star Vinicius Junior. The club is determined to file an appeal. Assistant coach Joao Traalhau will temporarily handle touchline duties and speak to the Spanish media to ease tensions. Meanwhile, Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho, who currently manages Benfica and has previously coached Chelsea, Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Roma, Manchester United, and Tottenham, will skip the pre-match and post-match press conferences at the Santiago Bernabeu, the home of their opponents Real Madrid, due to a suspension by UEFA. The immediate sanction for the attacking midfielder.
