To say this year’s UEFA Champions League is beginning to heat up would be an understatement. This matchday kicks off the second legs of a fiery round of 16, leaving the competition with just eight teams left to compete for Europe’s most prestigious crown. One of the undisputed highlights from last week’s knockout action was in Lisbon, where Hansi Flick’s Barcelona side took on Bruno Lage’s Benfica.
Despite the 1-0 scoreline, the match was a breathless, end-to-end affair that saw a sending-off, a wonder strike from Raphinha, and goalkeeping heroics at both ends. Now, on home turf, the five-time Champions League winners will look to nullify Benfica’s threat once more, with a place in the quarter-finals on the horizon.
The Eagles, however, will undoubtedly be fuelled by revenge after both coming agonisingly close to a result in the first leg and tasting defeat in cruel fashion in the nine-goal-thriller back in the league stage.
The rematch between the two European juggernauts will take place on Tuesday 10th March [17:45 GMT, 18:45 CET.] Barcelona come into the clash in fine form, sitting in first place in La Liga, albeit on goal difference. Meanwhile, Benfica are three points behind bitter city rivals Sporting, who currently lead the pack in Portugal.
The Stats
Over the years, the two teams have faced off 11 times in the Champions League, with Barça coming out on top an impressive five occasions. Benfica will be going into Tuesday as underdogs, but a moment of magic from their talisman Vangelis Pavlidis could be the difference. The Greek forward is joint-fourth in the competition for goals scored, with seven to his name.
To remember the last time Benfica defeated Barcelona, you would have to return to 2021 when Darwin Núñez scored a brace to secure a 3-0 victory. However, that win came at the Estádio da Luz, and Benfica had the home advantage in the home leg last week. To make matters worse, Benfica have never won away at Barcelona in the competition, so it would need to be an historic night should they progress to the next round.
For Barça, Raphinha will be the one they look to after his match-winning goal in the first leg. His impressive goalscoring form has seen him rise to second place in this campaign’s goalscoring charts, having scored nine times.
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Along with Raphinha, their young star Lamine Yamal will look to once more perform beyond his years on the global stage.
The two sides had very different league phases. Benfica finished in 16th place, which, of course, sent them into the playoff round, where they squeezed past Monaco. In contrast, Barcelona finished in second place, brushing aside their opponents with ease and scoring 29 goals while doing so.
Team News
Despite Barcelona’s victory in the first leg, they were dealt a blow when Pau Cubarsí was shown a red card, ruling him out for the return fixture. To add to their lack of defensive options, Danish defender Andreas Christiansen remains sidelined through injury.
La Masia graduate Marc Bernal will also be absent due to injury, alongside undisputed number one Marc-André ter Stegen, who continues to be out due to his patella rupture back in September.
Benfica have similar defensive issues. First-choice full backs Alexander Bah and Álvaro Carreras are ineligible for the fixture because of injury and suspension respectively.
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Ángel Di Maria remains a doubt, but he may be fit enough for a place on the bench. The 37-year-old had many historic run-ins with Barcelona during his time at Real Madrid, so his experience and leadership could be a big miss for Benfica. Tiago Gouveia and Manu Silva are the only other injury concerns for Bruno Lage.
TV Guide
Tuesday night’s game coverage will be on TNT Sports in the United Kingdom, with kick-off scheduled for 17:45 GMT.
FromTheSpot Prediction
Over the years, the UEFA Champions League has served some of the sports biggest twists and turns, especially in the knockout phases. However, with recent history and current form taken into consideration, it is hard to look past anything but a victory for Barcelona.
Despite Barça coming out on top, we predict Pavlidis will get on the scoresheet for The Eagles, continuing his hot streak in Europe. Raphinha may well be the hero again for his side and the villain for Benfica, as we predict he will play a significant role in the second-leg clash.