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Barcelona venture to the Iberian Peninsula for their final game of the Champions League league stage as they face Benfica in Lisbon.
After defeating Monaco with ten men on matchday one, Barca have won five straight in the competition and are second in the league stage table. Fern Torres’ heroics off the bench Last month at Borussia Dortmund meant they were all but guaranteed a place in the last 16.
However, their bid for early 2025 was thwarted by Getafe on Saturday evening as Jose Bordalas’ side fought tooth and nail for a point to further hamper Barca’s La Liga title hopes.
Hansi Flick’s side claimed silverware this year in the form of the Supercopa de Espana, a success that was also matched by Benfica’s victory in the Taka da Liga final over Sporting CP.
Bruno Lage’s side are 15th in the league stage table and are pushing for a top eight finish, but they will need a result here. Benfica are also involved in a thrilling three-horse race for the Primeira Liga title thanks to Sporting’s malaise following Ruben Amorim’s departure.
Here it is 90 minutes Guidelines for Tuesday Champions League collision
Benfica vs Barcelona H2H Record (Last Five Games)
Current Form (All Competitions)
|
Benfica |
Barcelona |
|---|---|
|
Benfica 4-0 Famalikao – 17/01/25 |
Getafe 1-1 Barcelona – 01/18/25 |
|
Farense 1-3 Benfica – 01/14/25 |
Barcelona 5-1 Real Betis – 15/01/25 |
|
Sporting CP 1-1 (6-7p) Benfica – 11/01/25 |
Real Madrid 2-5 Barcelona – 12/01/25 |
|
Benfica 3-0 Braga – 01/08/25 |
Athletic Club 0-2 Barcelona – 08/01/25 |
|
Benfica 1-2 Braga – 01/04/25 |
Barbastro 0-4 Barcelona – 04/01/25 |
|
the country |
TV Channel/Live Stream |
|---|---|
|
United Kingdom |
Discovery+, Discovery+ App, TNT Sports 1 |
|
United States |
Paramount+, fuboTV, TUDN.com, Univision NOW, TUDN App, TUDN USA, UniMas |
|
Canada |
DAZN Canada |
Angel Di Maria will miss the 20th time they face Barcelona on Tuesday night, with the Argentina star a major doubt through injury. The former Real Madrid Man has won just six of 19 matches against them, scoring four times.
The hosts are certainly without Renato Sanches and Thiago Goveya due to thigh and shoulder problems.
Kerem Akturkoglu has enjoyed a superb debut season in Portugal and is the man to watch in transition at Barcelona, with the Turkey international contributing 17 goals in all competitions this term.
Benfica predicted lineup against Barcelona (4-3-3): Trubin; Bach, Araujo, Otamendi, Fernandez; Orsnes, Florentino, Kokku; Amdouni, Pavlidis, Akturkoglu.
There was some concern over Marc Casado’s condition after Flick picked him up in the second half against Getafe, but the midfielder was unhurt from the withdrawal and was in the touring squad.
Despite strong links with a return to Girona, Erik Garcia is also traveling with the Barcelona squad.
The visitors are once again without Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Marc Bernal and Inigo Martinez through injury.
Ferran Torres and Frankie de Jong will be considered for starts, but Dani Olmo will not return to Flick’s XI due to a muscle injury at the weekend.
Barcelona Predicted Lineup vs Benfica (4-2-3-1): Kindness; Kounde, Araujo, Christensen, Balde; married, De Jong; Fermin, Gavi, Ferran; Lewandowski.
Given Barca’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 mode.
Their La Liga title hopes are beginning to fade, but this team at their peak is as good as any on the continent. If Flick makes the changes, and Benfica’s desperation for a result should ensure the contest is exciting, we are unlikely to see their utopian repeat on Tuesday night.
We’ve seen better Benfica sides in the recent past, that’s for sure, but if Flick tinkers with his squad they’ll fancy their chances of getting a result on home soil.
