Barcelona vs Benfica

Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys is the venue as Barcelona and Benfica go head-to-head in the return leg of their exciting Champions League last-16 tie.

Despite falling to ten men in the 22nd minute, Barcelona eked out a narrow 1-0 win in Lisbon to set one foot in the quarter-finals. A sudden death of Barca’s first-team doctor forced La Liga to postpone their home clash against Osasuna at the weekend, handing Hansi Flick’s charges an extra rest period to prepare for this fixture. They’re in pole position to advance from this tie, not least because they’re the only side across Europe’s top-five leagues yet to lose a competitive match in 2025 (W13, D3). Furthermore, Flick’s men haven’t lost any of their last seven home outings (W5, D2), netting an intimidating average of 3.4 goals per game. A quick-fire start is on the cards, considering seven of Barcelona’s last nine matches in Catalonia saw the opening goal scored in or before the 30th minute.

On the other hand, Benfica bounced back from a first-leg fiasco with a commanding 3-0 win against domestic rivals Nacional, making it eight victories from their last ten competitive games (D1, L1). However, the Eagles must defy history to reach the quarter-finals. Indeed, they’ve only won three of their last 24 UEFA encounters against Spanish opposition (D8, L13) while bowing out from the two most recent two-legged ties against clubs from La Liga. Manager Bruno Lage can take confidence from Benfica’s impressive return of four wins from five away matches in this season’s Champions League, including three triumphs on the trot – two of which saw them score multiple goals.