Barcelona head across the Iberian Peninsula for their penultimate game of the Champions League stage as they take on Benfica in Lisbon.
After being beaten by ten-man Monaco on matchday one, Barca have won five straight in this competition and are second in the league table. Ferran Torres’ heroics from the bench at Borussia Dortmund last month means they are all but 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 dent Barca’s La Liga title hopes.
Hansi Flick’s side have already won silverware this year in the form of the Supercopa de Espana, with that success also accompanied by Benfica’s Taca da Liga final triumph over Sporting CP.
Bruno Lage’s side are 15th in the league table and pushing for the top eight, but they will need a result here. Benfica are also locked in an exciting three-horse race for the Primeira Liga title thanks to Sporting’s poor form following the departure of Ruben Amorim.
Here 90 minutes tuesday guide Champions League conflict.
Benfica vs Barcelona H2H record (last five matches)
Current form (all competitions)
|
Benfica |
Barcelona |
|---|---|
|
Benfica 4-0 Famalicao – 17.1.25 |
Getafe 1-1 Barcelona – 18.1.25 |
|
Farense 1-3 Benfica – 14.1.25 |
Barcelona 5-1 Real Betis – 15.1.25 |
|
Sporting CP 1-1 (6-7p) Benfica – 01.11.25 |
Real Madrid 2-5 Barcelona – 01.12.25 |
|
Benfica 3-0 Braga – 01.08.25 |
Athletic Club 0-2 Barcelona – 01.08.25 |
|
Benfica 1-2 Braga – 01.04.25 |
Barbastro 0-4 Barcelona – 01.04.25 |
|
Earth |
TV channel/live broadcast |
|---|---|
|
Great Britain |
Discovery+, Discovery+ App, TNT Sports 1 |
|
United States |
Paramount+, fuboTV, TUDN.com, Univision NOW, TUDN App, TUDN USA, UniMás |
|
Canada |
DAZN Canada |
Angel Di Maria is set to miss the meeting with Barcelona for the 20th time on Tuesday night, with the Argentina star a major injury doubt. Former Real Madrid the man won just six of 19 matches against them, scoring four times.
The hosts are certainly without Renato Sanches and Tiago Gouveija due to thigh and shoulder problems.
Kerem Akturkoglu enjoyed a great debut season in Portugal and is the man Barcelona must have in transition. The Turkish international has 17 goals in all competitions this season.
Predicted line-up of Benfica against Barcelona (4-3-3): Trumpet; Bah, Araujo, Otamendi, Fernandez; Aursnes, Florentino, Kokcu; Amdouni, Pavlidis, Akturkoglu.
There were concerns over Marco Casado’s status after Flick took him off in the second half against Getafe, but the midfielder’s withdrawal was not injury-related 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 injuries.
Ferran Torres and Frenkie de Jong will be considered for starters, but Dani Olmo will not return to Flick’s XI after suffering a muscle injury at the weekend.
Predicted line-up of Barcelona against Benfica (4-2-3-1): Foam; Kounde, Araujo, Christensen, Balde; Casado, De Jong; Fermin, Gavi, Ferran; Lewandowski.
Given Barca’s strong position in the table, Flick could take a breather and rotate a few key names in Lisbon. However, the visitors are blessed with impressive strength in depth, especially in 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’re unlikely to see a utopian iteration of them on Tuesday night if Flick makes the changes, and Benfica’s desperation for a result should ensure the contest is exciting.
We’ve seen superior Benfica sides in the not-so-recent past, that’s for sure, but they’ll fancy their chances of getting a result at home if Flick messes with his team.
Prediction: Benfica 2-2 Barcelona
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