The first leg of this tie was overshadowed by Vinicius Junior's claim that he was racially abused by Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni after scoring the only goal of the game. Prestianni, who has been provisionally suspended for one Champions League match has denied the accusation, insisting he actually hurled a homophobic slur at Vinicius instead having been called a 'dwarf' by the Brazilian. This defence is expected to be dismissed and a lengthier ban could be implemented.
Arbeloa and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois both discussed the incident on Tuesday. Arbeloa said: "We have a great opportunity to mark a turning point in the fight against racism. UEFA, which has always been a champion of this fight against racism, has the opportunity to do more than just leave it as a slogan, or a nice banner before matches. And let's hope - or rather, I hope - that they seize this opportunity.
"As we've said, as I've said... on playing at a high level, putting on a great performance. On doing things right on the pitch and delivering a great performance so we can win the game. That's what we're most focused on. That's where we're putting all our energy and effort. And that's what we want to see tomorrow. The rest, obviously, isn't our concern. Or at least, it's not up to us to make those kinds of decisions. That has to be UEFA's."
Courtois added: "With everything that has happened, there are many things that haven't been done well. I think that racism, homophobia - all of these things - we simply cannot accept them and the insult is equally serious. Vini didn't do anything wrong. He celebrated the way many opponents have celebrated against us too. In the end we need to move on and leave it at that. We can't justify an alleged act of racism with a celebration."