Barcelona should have played Osasuna at the weekend, but the La Liga match was postponed due to some very sad news that hit the Blaugrana world: the club doctor, Carles Minarro Garcia, died suddenly a few hours before kick-off. A real shock for Hansi Flick and his men, fresh from the important victory obtained in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 at Benfica, beaten 1-0 at Da Luz despite being a man down from the 22nd minute (Cubarsì sent off).
The hero of the match was Raphinha, who once again was able to save the day for his coach with yet another masterful play. The so-called “dirty work”, on the other hand, was done by former Juventus goalkeeper Szczesny, who was once again decisive with his saves. In the second leg, Barça will therefore be able to play for two out of three results, with the knowledge that they can qualify for the quarter finals even if they draw. So much regret for Benfica, who with a numerical advantage could have done much more, especially in the scoring phase: the Portuguese had many opportunities to hurt the Blaugrana defense (as confirmed by the total xG) but did not convert even one. Bruno Lage’s team will now have to do the impossible in Catalonia, where they have never won in their previous eight matches against Barcelona (the only success for the Portuguese remains that of 2021, in front of their own fans).
Barça, Garcia in for Cubarsí
Benfica, however, managed to turn the page immediately: in the Liga Portugal on Saturday they overwhelmed Nacional 3-0, and they did it even without their first-choice players, most of whom were rested for the match in Montjuic.
Lage responded in this way to their city rivals Sporting, who also won against Estoril: the fight for the title is becoming increasingly tight in Portugal, with the two Lisbon clubs tied at 56 points. The red and white coach won’t have the suspended Carreras in the cup but he’s not the only absentee, as Di Maria, Bah, Manu Silva and Bruma will also be missing. In Barcelona, on the other hand, Flick will have to do without Cubarsi, suspended after the red card in the first leg: Eric Garcia will take his place.
Odds comparison
Barcelona’s victory is quoted at 1.32 on Goldbet and Lottomatica and at 1.35 on Snai. The “Goal” sign is quoted at 1.48 on Goldbet and Lottomatica and at 1.50 on Snai.
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The prediction
It will undoubtedly be a special evening for Barcelona, in which extra-footballing motivations will also play a role. The Blaugrana, still unbeaten in 2025, should once again avoid defeat against a Benfica side that seems to have missed the boat. This time, however, we believe that the Portuguese team can score at least one goal: at least three in total.
The probable line-ups for Barcelona-Benfica
BARCELONA (4-2-3-1): Szczęsny; Koundé, R. Araujo, Iñigo Martínez, Balde; de Jong, Pedri; Yamal, Dani Olmo, Raphinha; Lewandowski.
BENFICA (4-3-3): Trubin; T. Araújo, António Silva, Otamendi, Dahl; Kökçü, Aursnes, Florentino; Aktürkoğlu, Pavlidis, Schjelderup.