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

Real Madrid welcome RB Leipzig to the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday night looking to continue their strong start to the league phase. Los Blancos have collected six points from their opening two matches after victories over Inter Milan and Roma.

However, Mourinho has warned his players against becoming complacent following their recent run of form. The Portuguese coach believes Leipzig should not be judged solely by their heavy defeat to Bayern Munich and expects a difficult encounter 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.”

Madrid have won three consecutive matches in all competitions, including an impressive performance in their most recent outing, but Mourinho stressed that their recent success guarantees nothing 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 such discussions are premature.

“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 the next priority after qualification will be avoiding the play-off round, which Madrid were forced to navigate last season. He believes the additional knockout-style fixtures bring unnecessary pressure and wants his team to secure a top-eight position.

“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 Wednesday’s meeting with Leipzig another important opportunity to strengthen their position.

With El Clasico against Barcelona also coming up after the European fixture, Mourinho will be hoping his side can maintain their momentum while keeping their focus firmly on the immediate task.