Barcelona venture across the Iberian Peninsula for their penultimate match of the Champions League stage as they take on Benfica in Lisbon.
After defeating Monaco with ten men in the first round, Barcelona has won five consecutive victories in this competition and is in second place in the league stage table. Ferran Torres' heroics on the bench Against Borussia Dortmund last month means they are pretty sure of their place in the last 16.
However, the momentum they had gained at the start of 2025 was thwarted by Getafe on Saturday evening as Jose Bordalas' side fought tooth and nail for a point to derail Barcelona's La Liga title hopes.
Hansi Flick's side have already won silverware this year in the form of the Spanish Super Cup, with that success also matched by Benfica's victory in the Taca da Liga final over Sporting Lisbon.
Bruno Lage's side are 15th in the league table and aiming to reach one of the top eight, but they will need a result here. Benfica are also locked in an exciting three-horse race for the Portuguese Premier League title thanks to Sporting's distress since the departure of Ruben Amorim.
here 90 minutes Tuesday's guide UEFA Champions League clash.
Benfica and Barcelona H2H match record (last five matches)
Current form (all competitions)
|
Benfica |
Barcelona |
|---|---|
|
Benfica 4-0 Famalicao – 01/17/25 |
Getafe 1-1 Barcelona – 18/01/25 |
|
Varense 1-3 Benfica – 01/14/25 |
Barcelona 5-1 Real Betis – 01/15/25 |
|
Sporting Lisbon 1-1 (6-7) Benfica – 11/01/25 |
Real Madrid 2-5 Barcelona – 12/01/25 |
|
Benfica 3-0 Braga – 01/08/25 |
Athletic Bilbao 0-2 Barcelona – 01/08/25 |
|
Benfica 1-2 Braga – 04/01/25 |
Barbastro 0-4 Barcelona – 01/04/25 |
|
nation |
TV Channel/Live Broadcast |
|---|---|
|
UK |
Discovery+, Discovery+ App, TNT Sports 1 |
|
US |
Paramount+, fuboTV, TUDN.com, Univision NOW, TUDN App, TUDN USA, UniMas |
|
Canada |
DAZN CANADA |
Angel Di Maria is scheduled to miss facing Barcelona for the twentieth time on Tuesday evening, amid major doubts about the Argentine star due to injury. the previous real madrid The man won only six of the 19 matches against them, scoring four goals.
The home side will certainly be without Renato Sanchez and Thiago Gouveia due to hip and shoulder problems.
Kerim Akturkoglu has enjoyed a fantastic debut season in Portugal and is the man Barcelona should include in the transition period, with the Turkish international scoring 17 goals in all competitions this season.
Benfica's expected lineup against Barcelona (4-3-3): Tropin. Bach, Araujo, Otamendi, Fernandez; Orsene, Florentino, Coco; Amdouni, Pavlidis, Akturkoglu.
There was some concern about Marc Casado's situation after Flick replaced him in the second half against Getafe, but the midfielder's withdrawal was not due to injury and he is in the traveling squad.
Despite strong links with a return to Girona, Eric Garcia is also traveling with Barcelona.
The visitors are once again without Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Marc Bernal and Inigo Martinez due to injury.
Ferran Torres and Frenkie de Jong will be considered starters, but Dani Olmo will not return to Flick's lineup after suffering a muscle injury at the weekend.
Barcelona's expected lineup against Benfica (4-2-3-1): pity; Conde, Araujo, Christensen, Balde; De Jong is married. Firmin, Javi, Ferran; Lewandowski.
Given Barcelona's strong position in the table, Flick could rest and rotate some key names in Lisbon. However, visitors are blessed with impressive power in depth, especially in creative situations.
Their hopes of winning the La Liga title are starting to fade, but at their peak this team is no less good than any team on the continent. We are unlikely to see their perfect repeat on Tuesday night if Flick makes changes, and Benfica's desperation for a result should ensure it will be an exciting contest.
We've seen superior Benfica teams in the not-so-distant past, that's for sure, but they will fancy their chances of getting a result on home soil if Flick plays up his side.
