WHO: Benfica vs Barcelona
Contents: UEFA Champions Lee Ground 16 Round 1
Location: Estadio de Ruz, Lisbon, Portugal
When: Wednesday, March 5th at 8pm (20:00 GMT)
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Five-time winner Barcelona will visit Lisbon on Wednesday to face Benfica in the first round of the 16th Thailand Champions Lee Ground.
Barca hasn’t won the competition since 2015, but is one of his favourites to finish second in the group stage and lift the trophy.
Benfica reached the final seven times, but only lifted the trophy twice in 1961 and 1962.
What is Barca’s response to a positive Champions League draw?
Barcelona coach Hansifrik has dismissed claims that his team has a “easy” pass to the Champions League final ahead of the final 16 clashes with Benfica.
If the Spanish giants advance from a tie, they will face Borussia Dortmund or Lille in the quarterfinals.
The record 15 winners Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Liverpool, Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain are in the other half of the draw. Barcelona, the top of the Spanish league, could only meet those sides in potential finals.
“There’s no easy game at this stage. Every team deserves to be here at this stage, and so does Benfica,” Flick told reporters Tuesday. “Benfica is a great team [and] We play in a great stadium and it really has a special atmosphere.
“Their [fans] Push your team in a lot and support them. If you do that, tomorrow will be really difficult. It’s a tough job for us. ”
The Road to Munich #ucl pic.twitter.com/xxoxojwuad
– UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) March 4, 2025
The flicks are not drawn out about who the tournament favourites are, and which side poses the most threat to Barca’s hopes.
“Always the next match. Benfica is our next tough opponent,” the German coach said.
“That’s not good [talk about] These things. It focuses on the next match and the next match. This is a good way to do this.
“It always starts at 0-0 and you have to give it everything… the other teams are doing really well and they always want to beat us.”
What happened when Barca last met Benfica?
Barcelona defeated Benfica 5-4 in Lisbon in a thrilling group stage comeback.
Defender Pau Cubarsi said his team must focus more to stop the Portuguese side.
“It was complicated… We gave up a lot of opportunities. Cubarsi, who made his Barcelona debut in January 2024 and quickly became a key figure, said:
“We need to know how to manage the game… this is a two-legged tie and we have to give it everything from the start,” the 18-year-old continued.
“Every year, Barca should compete for everything. For me, we are the best club in the world. This year, people say we have the best pathway in tournaments, but I don’t see it that way.”
What does Benfica take in the Barca test?
Benfica manager Bruno Reiji is the second side in the Portuguese League and told fans to accused him of even more excitement on Wednesday, following a nine-goal thriller in the league stage.
Reiji said that Benfica, who lost the final meeting of the Rafina strike, was faithful to his identity in attacking football when hosting Barca, and that he hopes the Spanish giants will do the same.
“We can’t predict the number of goals scored in the game, but we can predict a great game of football as we are two teams that look to offense,” Lage said at a press conference Tuesday.
“I think it’s going to be a tough match, and we’re going out for the victory. Sure, tomorrow’s outcome is important, but the outcome in the second leg will be more decisive.
“We’re against a great team that has a lot of goals, but we also see the positives we’ve done against this opponent. The number of possibilities we had, the number of times we were in front of the goalkeeper. I think we can get through this tie.”
Benfica supporters hope for a different outcome in the late January encounter in the rift at Estadio Dalz in Lisbon, where Barcelona fought from two goals.
“We’re trying to find the space our rivals have to offer us. We need to know how to take advantage of the space Barcelona gives us. That should be the key.”
👥𝗦𝗤𝗨𝗔𝗗𝗟𝗜𝗦𝗧! #benficabarçapic.twitter.com/rak1e0xe8y
– FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) March 4, 2025
Barcelona team news
Barcelona midfielder Gabi is questioning the Champions League clash on Wednesday.
Starring in the thrilling 5-4 victory at Barcelona’s Benfica, Gabi was on the bench in his final two league games and missed a training session due to illness.
“Let’s see. Yesterday he didn’t train because he wasn’t feeling that good. He’ll visit the doctor again, we’ll have to wait,” Frick said.
The 20-year-old has played 24 games this season, scoring two goals and three assists since returning from an ACL injury.
Benfica Team News
Lage confirmed he would miss Wednesday’s match as he recovered by attacking midfielder Angel Di Maria and midfielder Florentino, but he sounded optimistic that Winger Renato Sanchez should be ready.
“The most important thing is that the whole team will function as a whole, regardless of who plays,” Lage says.
Head-on
The two European giants, surprisingly, have met only ten times.
Barca won four, including victory this season, but Benfica only won twice.
The final of these victories was a 3-0 home victory in the old group stage in 2021. The return leg of that season was a goalless draw at Noy Camp the last time the club met up until this season.
Another Benfica victory was the first meeting between the two clubs, when the Portuguese club lifted the trophy after coming to the 1961 final and earning a 3-2 victory in Bern, Switzerland.
as📸dadapreparaçãoparao #slbfcb! 🌡#ucl pic.twitter.com/dz3ornlnzi
– SL Benfica (@slbenfica) March 4, 2025
