Barcelona travel across the Iberian Peninsula for the penultimate match of the Champions League stage as they face Benfica in Lisbon.
After succumbing to ten-man Monaco on the opening day, Barca have won five straight in this competition and are second in the league stage table. Ferran Torres' heroics from the bench at Borussia Dortmund last month means they are assured of a place in the last 16.
However, their momentum gained at the start of 2025 was thwarted by Getafe on Saturday night as Jose Bordalas' side fought tooth and nail for a point to further hamper Barca's La Liga title hopes.
Hansi Flick's team has already won silverware this year in the form of the Spanish Super Cup, with this success also matched by Benfica's triumph in the Taca da Liga final against Sporting CP.
Bruno Lage's side are 15th in the league stage table and are pushing for a place in the top eight, but they will need a result here. Benfica are also involved in an exciting three-horse race for the Primeira Liga title thanks to Sporting's malaise since the departure of Ruben Amorim.
Here it is 90 minutes guide for tuesday Champions League collision.
Benfica vs Barcelona H2H Record (Last Five Matches)
Current form (all competitions)
|
Benfica |
Barcelona |
|---|---|
|
Benfica 4-0 Famalicao – 17.01.25 |
Getafe 1-1 Barcelona – 18.01.25 |
|
Farense 1-3 Benfica – 14.01.25 |
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 |
|
country |
TV channel/live streaming |
|---|---|
|
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 clash with Barcelona for the 20th time on Tuesday night, with the Argentine star a major doubt through injury. ex Real Madrid the man has won just six of 19 games against them, scoring four times.
The hosts are of course without Renato Sanches and Tiago Gouveia due to respective thigh and shoulder problems.
Kerem Akturkoglu has enjoyed an excellent debut season in Portugal and is the man Barcelona need to contain in transition. The Turkish international has 17 contributions in all competitions this season.
Benfica predicted formation against Barcelona (4-3-3): Trumpet; Bach, Araujo, Otamendi, Fernandez; Aursnes, Florentino, Kokcu; Amdouni, Pavlidis, Akturkoglu.
There were some concerns over the status of Marc Casados after Flick took him off in the second half against Getafe, but the midfielder's withdrawal was not due to injury and he is in the traveling squad.
Despite strong links with a return to Girona, Eric Garcia is also traveling with the Barcelona squad.
The visitors are again without Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Marc Bernal and Inigo Martinez due to injury.
Ferran Torres and Frenkie de Jong will be considered for starts, but Dani Olmo will not return to Flick's XI after picking up a muscle injury at the weekend.
Barcelona predicted the formation against Benfica (4-2-3-1): Mercy; Kounde, Araujo, Christensen, Balde; Married, De Jong; Fermin, Gavi, Ferran; Lewandowski.
Given Barca's strong position in the table, Flick can rest and rotate some key names in Lisbon. However, the visitors are blessed with impressive strength in depth, especially in the creative positions.
Their La Liga title hopes are starting to fade, but this team at their peak is as good as any on the continent. We are unlikely to see their utopian repeat on Tuesday night if Flick makes changes, and Benfica's desperation for a result should ensure the contest is exciting.
We've seen superior Benfica teams in the not-too-distant past, that's for sure, but they'll fancy their chances of getting a result on home soil if Flick messes with his team.