Basically, Barcelona wants to keep their Champions League dream alive by making it to the quarter-finals again. Benfica? They're aiming for their third quarter-final appearance in the last four seasons. Big stakes!
Now, things have been really tough for Barcelona. They haven't played since last week because their La Liga game was postponed after their team doctor, Carles Minarro Garcia, tragically passed away. The whole club's in shock, and it's understandably a really sad time. They even held a moment of silence at training. Benfica's coach, Bruno Lage, also sent his condolences, which was a nice gesture.
Despite everything, Barcelona's got to focus on this Champions League game. They won the first leg 1-0 in Portugal, even though they played most of the game with only 10 men after Pau Cubarsi got a red card. Their goalkeeper, Wojciech Szczesny, was a hero, making a bunch of saves, and Raphinha scored the winning goal. They've been on a great run, too, not losing for 16 games.
At home, they've been pretty strong, winning most of their recent games. Plus, they've got a good record against Benfica at home, never losing and keeping clean sheets in the last few meetings. So, they'll be feeling pretty confident.
Benfica, on the other hand, must be kicking themselves for losing the first leg, especially with Barcelona down to 10 men. They did bounce back with a solid 3-0 win in their league game, which is good for their morale. They're also right up there in their league title race, which is exciting.
But, they know this Champions League game is huge. They've got a tough history in these situations, though, usually struggling after losing the first leg. And their away record against Spanish teams isn't great.
Still, they've been winning their last few Champions League away games, so they'll have some hope. They know they have to win to move on, so it's going to be a real battle. It’s a do or die situation for them."
INJURIES & SUSPENSION
Barcelona's got some injury worries. They just got Andreas Christensen back, and bam, he's out again with a calf problem. Looks like he'll be sidelined until April. Plus, their main goalie, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, and Marc Bernal are still working their way back from those long-term knee injuries.
Now, Robert Lewandowski, he had some minor discomfort and missed their last game, but it sounds like he'll be good to go for this one. That's a huge boost for them. And Gavi? He's recovering from being sick and should be on the bench.
With Pau Cubarsi suspended after that red card in the first leg, Ronald Araujo will likely step into the center of defense.
Over on Benfica's side, they've got their own problems. Alexander Bah, Manu Silva, and Tiago Gouveia are all out injured. And, unfortunately, Angel Di Maria, the former Real Madrid star, is still missing due to an injury – he's been out for a while now.
Tomas Araujo is also a question mark after missing their last game, and Alvaro Carreras is suspended because of too many yellow cards. To top it off, Bruma, who they just got in January and has been playing a lot in the league, can't play in this Champions League game because he wasn't registered for the knockout stage. Talk about bad timing.
After rotating the squad a bit in their last league match, it looks like Benfica's coach, Lage, is planning to bring back some key players. Expect to see Leandro Barreiro, Kerem Akturkoglu, Andreas Schjelderup, and Pavlidis back in the starting lineup. So, both teams are dealing with their fair share of missing players, which could definitely shake things up
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Barcelona possible starting lineup:
Szczesny; Kounde, Araujo, Martinez, Balde; De Jong, Pedri; Yamal, Olmo, Raphinha, Lewandowski
Benfica possible starting lineup:
Trubin; Santos, Silva, Otamendi, Dahl; Aursnes, Barreiro, Kokcu; Akturkoglu, Schjelderup, Pavlidis
EXPERT PREDICTION
Barcelona 3-1 Benfica
