Barcelona will aim to defend a narrow first-leg lead when they host Portuguese giants Benfica at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys for Tuesday’s return leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.
The Blaugrana are looking to reach the quarter-finals in back-to-back campaigns, while Benfica hopes to make it to the last eight for the third time in four years.
Barcelona, coming off a week of mourning following the death of first-team doctor Carles Minarro Garcia, have not played since last week’s trip to Lisbon.
Despite this emotional setback, they hold a 1-0 advantage, thanks to Raphinha’s decisive goal and a series of heroic saves from Wojciech Szczesny.
Barcelona will look to maintain their impressive unbeaten streak of 16 matches and extend it with a home win, buoyed by their recent strong form at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, where they’ve won five of their last seven competitive games.
For Benfica, last week’s 1-0 home defeat was a tough blow, especially as they failed to capitalize on Barcelona playing with 10 men for the majority of the match.
However, after bouncing back with a dominant 3-0 win over Nacional in the Primeira Liga, the visitors are hoping for a positive result in their quest for a quarter-final spot.
Benfica will need to overcome their poor record in Champions League knockout ties after losing the first leg, as well as their struggles in La Liga venues.
Team News:
Barcelona will be without Andreas Christensen (calf injury), Marc-Andre ter Stegen, and Marc Bernal (knee injuries).
Robert Lewandowski, who missed the postponed game against Osasuna, should return for Tuesday’s clash.
Gavi is also expected to feature on the bench after recovering from an illness.
Benfica, on the other hand, will be missing Alexander Bah, Manu Silva, Tiago Gouveia, and Angel Di Maria due to injury.
Tomas Araujo is a doubt, while Alvaro Carreras is suspended for the second leg. January signing Bruma is ineligible for Champions League duty.
Barcelona Possible Lineup:
Szczesny, Koundé, Araujo, Martínez, Balde, De Jong, Pedri,Yamal, Olmo, Raphinha, Lewandowski.
Benfica Possible Lineup:
Trubin, Santos, Silva, Otamendi, Dahl; Aursnes, Barreiro, Kokcu, Akturkoglu, Schjelderup, Pavlidis.
Can Barcelona protect their narrow lead, or will Benfica stage a dramatic comeback?
