Inigo Martinez will replace the suspended Pau Cubarsi in the Barcelona starting lineup against SL Benfica in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League round of 16 on Tuesday.
Barcelona will aim to qualify for the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals when they welcome SL Benfica to Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys for the second leg of the UEFA Champions League round of 16 on Tuesday night. Hansi Flick has a new roster issue hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Pau Cubarsi will serve a suspension after seeing red in the first leg last week. The highly-rated Spanish defender has joined Andreas Christensen, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, and Marc Bernal on the sidelines.
While Gavi and Robert Lewandowski have been dealing with minor issues, the duo should be fit and available to take on Benfica. Meanwhile, during his pre-match press conference, Flick provided a fitness update on Lewandowski.
The Barcelona manager said, “He is in top form, on Saturday we decided to rest him. In the training session before the game, he felt some discomfort due to fatigue and we decided to rest him.”
Meanwhile, Flick heaped praise on Wojciech Szczesny, whose exploits helped the Blaugrana clinch a narrow victory over Benfica in the first leg. The German tactician said, “Szczesny is a mature and experienced goalkeeper. His personality helps us a lot, he is doing a great job.”
Szczesny will retain his spot between the sticks, with Barcelona lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him against SL Benfica at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on Tuesday night. The backline should feature Jules Kounde, Alejandro Balde, Ronald Araujo, and Inigo Martinez, with the latter replacing Pau Cubarsi.
As for the midfield unit, Frenkie de Jong should retain his spot ahead of Marc Casado, with Pedri accompanying the Dutch midfielder in the double pivot. Dani Olmo will reprise the no. 10 role again, with Gavi being an option on the bench. Finally, Robert Lewandowski will lead the line for the home side against Benfica, with Raphinha and Lamine Yamal being the two wide attackers. So, Ferran Torres will be the backup attacker for the hosts.
Barcelona vs SL Benfica Predicted XI
Predicted Barcelona XI: Szczesny; Kounde, Araujo, Martinez, Balde; De Jong, Pedri; Yamal, Olmo, Raphinha; Lewandowski