Benfica vs Barcelona

High-flying Barcelona take a trip to Estadio de Luz to lock horns with familiar foes Benfica in the first leg of their tasty-looking Champions League last-16 tie.

Estadio de Luz has been a venue of entertainment, considering five of Benfica’s last six Champions League matches here have featured over 3.5 goals, including a remarkable 5-4 defeat to Barcelona in this season’s league stage. However, the Eagles would likely trade excitement for results, given they’ve emerged victorious from just one of their last nine Champions League outings on home turf (D3, L5). That makes for bleak reading as they bid to defy an underwhelming run of just two wins across their last 12 European encounters against Spanish opposition (D4, L6). Against this backdrop, Bruno Lage’s men have recently excelled at home, racking up seven wins from eight competitive matches (D1), including back-to-back league triumphs ‘to nil’ in the build-up to this fixture. 

Meanwhile, Barcelona brushed 10-man Real Sociedad aside with a comfortable 4-0 home win last weekend to tighten the noose on a second La Liga title in three years. Almost unplayable in 2025, Hansi Flick’s charges have claimed 13 wins from 15 competitive games since the turn of the calendar year (D2), emerging as one of Europe’s most in-form sides. Keen to reach back-to-back Champions League quarter-finals for the first time since 2018/19 and 2019/20, ‘Los Blaugranas’ head to Lisbon on an impressive run of seven wins from their last ten away matches against Portuguese opposition (D2, L1). Worryingly, the visitors have conceded 2+ goals on their past five Champions League road trips!