Barcelona will host Benfica in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie, with the Catalan side looking to advance to the quarterfinals. The Blaugrana won the first leg 1-0 in Lisbon despite playing with 10 men for over 70 minutes. Their weekend match against Osasuna in La Liga was postponed due to the death of the team’s first-team doctor, so they should be well-rested for this crucial match.
Barcelona’s boss, Hansi Flick, will have one eye on their upcoming clash against Atlético Madrid in La Liga, but he’ll be confident that his team can get the job done against Benfica. The Catalans are the only unbeaten team across all competitions in Europe’s traditional top-five leagues this season, with 13 wins and three draws. They’ve also been impressive at their temporary home, Estadi Olimpic Lluís Companys, where they’re unbeaten in seven games, scoring an average of 3.43 goals per match.
Benfica, on the other hand, faces the monumental task of turning the tie around. They’ve won only three of their last 24 UEFA games against Spanish clubs and have crashed out in the last four two-legged knockout ties against such opposition. However, Bruno Lage’s men shouldn’t be short of confidence, having won 3-0 against Nacional on Friday, their eighth win from their last 10 matches.
Benfica’s away form in the Champions League has been impressive, with three consecutive wins on the road. They’ve also emerged victorious from four of their five road trips in this season’s competition. While a win might be a tall order, Benfica will be hoping to take the tie into extra time, which could give them a chance to progress.
The key battle will be between Barcelona’s goalkeeper, Wojciech Szczęsny, and Benfica’s Kerem Aktürkoğlu. Szczęsny made eight saves in the first leg to keep a clean sheet, while Aktürkoğlu has scored three of his last four Champions League goals to open the scoring before the 25th minute.
The match promises to be an exciting one, with Barcelona looking to extend their unbeaten run and Benfica hoping to pull off a surprise. With seven of Barcelona’s last nine home matches seeing the opening goal scored in the 30th minute or earlier, we can expect an intense start to the match.
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