According to a report by GOAL on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has played down expectations surrounding his team’s UEFA Champions League campaign, insisting that their immediate priority is to secure qualification rather than focus on winning the competition.

Real Madrid are set to host RB Leipzig at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday night, hoping to maintain their strong start to the league phase. Los Blancos have collected six points from their opening two matches after recording victories over Inter Milan and Roma.

However, Mourinho has warned his players against becoming complacent following their recent performances. The Portuguese manager believes Leipzig should not be judged solely on their heavy defeat to Bayern Munich and expects the German side to pose a difficult challenge in Madrid.

“Leipzig is not the team that lost so badly in Munich,” Mourinho said. “It’s the team that beat PSV, that has three points, and that wants to qualify.”

Real Madrid have won their last three matches across all competitions, including an impressive display in their most recent outing. Nevertheless, Mourinho stressed that their recent form does not guarantee another victory against Leipzig.

“We delivered a very complete performance, but we need to keep going. Winning three games doesn’t mean we’ll win the fourth. Tomorrow, we need to play and win,” he added.

When asked whether Real Madrid should be considered among the favourites to win the Champions League, Mourinho insisted that it was too early to make such predictions.

“It’s too early,” he said. “Madrid, at this moment, doesn’t have the goal of winning the Champions. Right now, the goal is to qualify.”

Mourinho explained that once qualification is secured, the next objective will be to avoid the play-off round, which Real Madrid had to navigate last season. He believes those additional knockout-style fixtures create unnecessary pressure and wants his team to finish among the top eight in the league phase.

“First, we need to reach the first eleven points that allow us to qualify, and then we’ll give it our all to finish among the top eight,” Mourinho said.

Real Madrid currently sit ninth in the Champions League standings with six points, making their encounter against Leipzig another important opportunity to improve their position.

With El Clasico against Barcelona also approaching after the European fixture, Mourinho will be hoping his players maintain their momentum while remaining focused on the immediate challenge.