Preview: Barcelona vs Benfica – Prediction, Team News, Line-ups

Barcelona will look to defend a narrow lead when they take on Benfica at the Estadi Olimpic Luis Companys in the second-leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.

The Catalans are aiming to make it to the quarter-finals of the competition in back-to-back campaigns, while the Portuguese outfit want to reach the last eight for the third time in four seasons.

Match Preview

Barcelona were scheduled to play Osasuna at the weekend, but the match was postponed following the tragic death of first-team doctor Carles Minarro Garcia.

The La Liga giants boast a 1-0 lead from the first-leg against Benfica. It was a remarkable feat from Hansi Flick’s side who had to play with 10 men for around 70 minutes after Pau Cubarsi’s early red card.

However, they came back to Spain with the advantage, thanks to Raphinha’s 61st minute strike and Wojciech Szczesny’s brilliance between the sticks. Now they simply have to avoid defeat in the home leg.

On the other hand, Benfica bounced back in the Primeira Liga with an emphatic 3-0 success over Nacional last weekend.

Zeki Amdouni, Orkun Kokcu and Vangelis Pavlidis all earned their names on the scoresheet as Bruno Lage’s side claimed a comfortable win to maintain their title race with Sporting Lisbon.

Team News

Barcelona have a few injury woes for the important home clash on Tuesday. Andreas Christensen suffered a fresh injury blow just days after regaining full fitness, with the Dane ruled out until April with a calf issue. The Blaugrana will also be missing Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Marc Bernal through fitness problems.

As for Benfica, they will not be ablet to call upon the services of Alexander Bah, Tiago Gouveia and Manu Silva as they are all confined to the infirmary. Alvaro Carreras will serve his suspension, while Angel Di Maria will also be missing due to injury.

Barcelona vs Benfica potential line-ups

Barcelona: Szczesny; Kounde, Araujo, Martinez, Balde; Olmo, De Jong, Pedri; Yamal, Raphinha, Lewandowski

Benfica: Trubin; Santos, Silva, Otamendi, Dahl; Aursnes, Barreiro, Kokcu; Akturkoglu, Schjelderup, Pavlidis

How to Watch?

Soccer fans can watch Barcelona vs Benfica match live on TV.

Barcelona vs Benfica prediction

Benfica lost to the Catalans despite having numberial superiority and playing at the Estadio da Luz. The Portuguese side have won just two of their 13 competitive away matches against La Liga teams.

Barcelona are expected to seal a comfortable win on Tuesday at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys.

Barcelona 3-1 Benfica