Who: Benfica vs Barcelona
What: UEFA Champions League spherical of 16 first leg
The place: Estadio de Luz, Lisbon, Portugal
When: Wednesday, March 5 at 8pm (20:00 GMT)
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5-time winners Barcelona go to Lisbon to face Benfica on Wednesday within the first leg of their Champions League spherical of 16 tie.
Barca haven’t gained the competitors since 2015 however completed second within the group stage and are among the many favourites to carry the trophy.
Benfica have reached the ultimate on seven events however have solely lifted the trophy twice – in 1961 and 1962.
What’s Barca’s response to beneficial Champions League draw?
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick dismissed claims that his workforce have an “simple” path to the Champions League ultimate, forward of their final 16 conflict in opposition to Benfica.
Ought to the Spanish giants progress from the tie, they are going to face both Borussia Dortmund or Lille within the quarterfinals.
Actual Madrid, the document 15-time winners, in addition to Atletico Madrid, Liverpool, Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain are within the different half of the draw. Barcelona, who high the Spanish league by some extent, might solely meet these sides in a possible ultimate.
“On this section, there’s no simple sport – each workforce deserves to be right here at this stage, and I feel Benfica too,” Flick informed reporters on Tuesday. “Benfica is a implausible workforce [and] we play in an awesome stadium and it’s actually a particular ambiance there.
“Their [fans] push the workforce on so much, supporting them, and it is going to be actually robust tomorrow – laborious work for us.”
The highway to Munich 🏆#UCL pic.twitter.com/XxOXoJwUAD
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) March 4, 2025
Flick wouldn’t be drawn on who the event favourites are and which facet would pose probably the most menace to Barca’s hopes.
“At all times the subsequent match. Benfica is for us the subsequent tough opponent,” the German coach mentioned.
“It’s not good to [talk about] these items. We deal with the subsequent match and the subsequent match, and that’s a great way to do that.
“It at all times begins at 0-0, and you need to give the whole lot… the opposite groups are doing rather well and so they at all times wish to win in opposition to us.”
What occurred the final time Barca met Benfica?
Barcelona beat Benfica 5-4 in Lisbon in an exhilarating group-stage comeback.
Defender Pau Cubarsi mentioned his workforce needed to focus extra to cease the Portuguese facet, for whom Vangelis Pavlidis scored a 30-minute hat-trick.
“It was difficult… we gave up quite a lot of probabilities. We now have to strive to not concede targets,” mentioned Cubarsi, who made his Barcelona debut in January 2024 and has quickly develop into a key determine.
“We now have to know handle video games… this can be a two-legged tie and we have now to offer the whole lot from the beginning,” continued the 18-year-old.
“Annually, Barca needs to be competing for the whole lot. For me, we’re the perfect membership on the earth. This 12 months, individuals say we have now the perfect pathway within the event, however I don’t see it like that.”
What’s Benfica tackle the Barca check?
Benfica supervisor Bruno Lage, whose facet are second within the Portuguese league, informed followers to brace for extra pleasure on Wednesday following the nine-goal thriller within the league section.
Lage mentioned Benfica, who misplaced the final assembly to a stoppage time Raphinha strike, will keep true to their id of attacking soccer once they host Barca, and that he expects the Spanish giants to do the identical.
“I can’t predict what number of targets will likely be scored within the sport, however I can predict an awesome sport of soccer as a result of they’re two groups with an eye fixed for assault,” Lage informed a information convention on Tuesday.
“I feel it’s going to be a tricky match and we are going to exit for the win. Positive, tomorrow’s end result will likely be essential, however the results of the second leg will likely be extra decisive.
“We’re going up in opposition to an awesome workforce who rating quite a lot of targets however we’re additionally trying on the constructive issues we’ve achieved in opposition to this opponent: the variety of probabilities we’ve had, the variety of occasions we’ve been in entrance of the goalkeeper… we consider we will get by means of this tie.”
Benfica supporters desire a totally different end result to that late-January rip-roaring encounter at Lisbon’s Estadio da Luz through which Barcelona fought again from two targets all the way down to win.
“We’ll attempt to discover the areas our rivals provide us as a result of they usually do,” Lage added. We now have to know benefit from the areas that Barcelona will give us – that needs to be the important thing.”
👥 𝗦𝗤𝗨𝗔𝗗 𝗟𝗜𝗦𝗧! #BenficaBarça pic.twitter.com/RaK1e0Xe8y
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) March 4, 2025
Barcelona workforce information
Barcelona midfielder Gavi is a doubt for Wednesday’s Champions League conflict.
Gavi, who featured in Barcelona’s thrilling 5-4 win at Benfica, was on the bench of their final two league video games and missed a coaching session as a consequence of sickness.
“We’ll see. Yesterday, he didn’t prepare as he didn’t really feel so good. He’ll go to the physician once more, we have now to attend,” Flick mentioned.
The 20-year-old has performed 24 video games this season, registering two targets and three assists since getting back from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) damage.
Benfica workforce information
Lage confirmed that attacking midfielder Angel Di Maria and midfielder Florentino will miss Wednesday’s sport as they recuperate however sounded optimistic that winger Renato Sanches needs to be prepared.
“An important factor is for the workforce to perform as a workforce, as a complete, no matter who performs,” Lage mentioned.
Head-to-head
The 2 European giants have surprisingly solely met on 10 events.
Barca have gained 4 of these, together with the victory this season, whereas Benfica have solely gained twice.
The final of these victories was a 3-0 residence win within the previous group stage in 2021. The return leg that season was a goalless draw at Neu Camp – the final time the golf equipment met till this season.
The opposite Benfica win was the primary assembly between the 2 golf equipment and got here within the ultimate in 1961 with the Portuguese membership lifting the trophy after a 3-2 win in Bern, Switzerland.
As 📸 da preparação para o #SLBFCB! 🌡#UCL pic.twitter.com/DZ3orNLNZI
— SL Benfica (@SLBenfica) March 4, 2025
