Benfica vs Barcelona

Barcelona head into the penultimate round of the UEFA Champions League league phase seeking redemption for another domestic upset, bidding to beat Benfica at Estadio da Luz. 

After a 4-0 rout of domestic rivals Famalicao last weekend kept them within a three-point distance of Primeira Liga pacesetters Sporting CP, stretching their winning run to four games, Benfica return to their Champions League duties confident about defying an underwhelming four-game form (W1, D1, L2). However, that task is nothing short of Herculean, as they’ve only won one of their last seven Champions League outings in Lisbon (D2, L4), including a 0-0 draw against Bologna in their most recent such fixture. On the bright side, that lone victory came against Barcelona’s bitter rivals Atletico Madrid (4-0) earlier this campaign. Barcelona’s visit doesn’t bode well, considering the Eagles have failed to find the back of the net in five of their last six H2Hs (W1, D3, L2). 

In the meantime, Barcelona’s hopes of dethroning La Liga champions Real Madrid took another hit at the weekend as they slipped to a 1-1 draw at Getafe, extending their dreadful league run to just one win from their last eight matches (D3, L4). However, Hansi Flick’s charges have run riot in the Champions League since a 2-1 defeat at Monaco on Matchday 1, winning their last five on the trot whilst netting 3+ goals on each occasion. Flick has proved a European ‘expert, racking up a jaw-dropping 88% win ratio across his 24 Champions League games as a manager (W21, D1, L2). Furthermore, ‘Los Blaugranas’ have won their last two European outings away from home despite conceding precisely twice on both occasions.