Benfica vs. Barcelona: UCL Match Preview, Odds & Predictions

After a nine-goal league phase spectacular, Benfica and Barcelona will meet again on Wednesday night for the first leg of their Champions League last-16 match at the Estadio da Luz. Both teams have a lot to prove after that.

The Blaugrana, who finished second in the group stage and were surpassed only by Liverpool, will face the Portuguese giants again after a 4-3 aggregate victory against Monaco in the playoffs.

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

Another long-overdue piece of European fame: Due to their draw against Liverpool, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, and Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona supporters may be excused for already dreaming about the Munich final, which would be their first Champions League title in a decade.

Recovering from an early setback to Monaco to collect 19 points from the next 21 on offer, Hansi Flick's men made many declarations of purpose throughout the league phase. They still have to beat Bayern Munich or Inter Milan to win a rendezvous with destiny.

The La Liga championship contenders scored twice in their last seven league phase matches, giving them an unprecedented 28 goals in eight games, considerably outscoring any other club. Borussia Dortmund came in a distant second with 22 goals.

Barcelona, prolific domestic goal scorers, returned to the top of La Liga on Sunday after a thrilling 4-4 draw with Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-finals. The Catalan club thrashed Real Sociedad 4-0.

With their 4–0 thumping of Real Sociedad, La Blaugrana extended their undefeated streak to 15 games in all competitions in 2025. Also, La Blaugrana scored multiple goals in 11 of their previous 12 matches away from their temporary Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys home.

While Barcelona rode into the sunset in the top eight, their Iberian rivals Benfica finished 16th in the league phase and earned a playoff match against Monaco, who finished one position lower with the same amount of points. Benfica were seeded to play in the playoffs.

The matches were as well matched as the league phase rankings would have you believe. However, after a 1-0 road victory courtesy of Vangelis Pavlidis, the Eagles battled back from 2-1 and 3-2 deficits in the second leg to come close to advancing after a six-goal deadlock.

After the thrilling 3-3 draw with Monaco, Bruno Lage's squad has won its last four home games in a row, bringing its Primeira Liga point total to equal Sporting Lisbon's. On February 26, it advanced to the Taca de Portugal semi-finals with a 1-0 victory against Braga.

The two-time European Cup winners are riding high, with seven victories and a draw in their last eight matches across all competitions. They nearly always provide entertaining football in the Champions League, where they have scored 35 goals in 10 games this season.

On January 21, Benfica scored nine goals in a thrilling league phase matchup with Barcelona. The Blaugrana prevailed in a tense 5-4 thriller, marking the first occasion in forty games that Benfica had lost a home European match in which they had scored four or more goals.

Benfica x Barcelona Team News

If the Spanish international had not been sick, Barcelona manager Flick said that former Golden Boy Gavi would have started the match against Real Sociedad. However, the coach is expected to give the player the all-clear on Wednesday.

Nevertheless, Marc Bernal and Marc-Andre ter Stegen are recovering fully from severe knee injuries. At the same time, the unfortunate Andreas Christensen is set to miss four weeks with a fresh calf injury.

Raphinha, who forms a formidable front three alongside Robert Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal, is hunting for a Brazilian record. With 12 direct goal involvements in the 2024-25 Champions League, he is third all-time for a Brazilian player in a single tournament, behind only Kaka (13 in 2006-07) and Roberto Firmino (17 in 2017-18).

Lage hoped Florentino, Benfica's central midfielder, would return from his Champions League suspension in time for the first leg. However, the 25-year-old hurt his thigh in mid-February and will miss Barça's visit.

Bruma was returning from a three-game ban from the Europa League when he was sent off for Braga against Union Saint-Gilloise. Still, Florentino is joined in the treatment room by ACL victims Alexander Bah and Manu Silva, Tiago Gouveia (knee), Renato Sanches (muscle), and Angel Di Maria (muscle), a former Real Madrid winger.

As a result of Di Maria's absence, Benfica will have to rely on Pavlidis, who has been instrumental in scoring seven goals and assisting on two more in the 2024–25 tournament, to carry the offensive load. Pavlidis scored a hat trick in Benfica's 5–4 league phase defeat to Barcelona.

Our predictions

Barcelona to win @ 1.87 on Sky247.ng

Even though another spectacular nine-goal thriller is unlikely, goalmouth action is guaranteed to be plenty in this matchup between a merciless Barcelona squad and a Benfica squad with one of the tournament's deadliest strikers in Pavlidis.

Our money is on Flick's terrifying attackers to crush their Portuguese hosts and take a commanding lead in the first leg. This will make what should be an intriguing match for neutrals an even more exciting one for Barcelona supporters.

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