Barcelona will look to extend their impressive Champions League campaign with a crucial win over Benfica in Lisbon on Tuesday.
With 15 points from six games, Barcelona are second in the group, while Benfica sit 15th with 10 points, though they remain in contention for a playoff spot.
Benfica head into this match on a four-game winning streak, including a dominant 4-0 victory over Famalicao in the Primeira Liga.
Despite their current 15th-place standing, they are only three points shy of eighth, which would grant them automatic qualification for the knockout rounds.
A win here would greatly improve their chances.
Although Barcelona have been struggling in La Liga, sitting third and seven points behind Real Madrid, their Champions League form has been strong, with five wins and one loss.
A positive result in Lisbon would further solidify their place in the knockout stages, though a poor performance could leave their qualification uncertain.
Team News
Benfica will be missing Tiago Gouveia and Renato Sanches due to injury, with Angel Di Maria also a doubt.
However, Kerem Akturkoglu and Vangelis Pavlidis are expected to start.
For Barcelona, Dani Olmo joins the injury list, and Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Marc Bernal, and Inigo Martinez are also sidelined.
Barcelona’s starting lineup is expected to remain largely unchanged, with Gavi likely in the number 10 role.
Benfica have won just two of their last nine encounters with Barcelona, with their most recent victory over the Catalan side coming in the 2021-22 Champions League group stage.
Possible Lineups
Benfica: Trubin; Bah, Araujo, Otamendi, Fernandez; Aursnes, Florentino, Kokcu; Amdouni, Pavlidis, Akturkoglu
Barcelona: Pena, Kounde, Araujo, Cubarsi, Balde, Casado, Pedri; Yamal, Gavi, Raphinha, Lewandowski
