Benfica take on the visitors Barcelona in the first leg of UEFA Champions League round of 1/8-finals. The match will be played on Wednesday, March 5th at Estadio da Luz (Lisbon).
Benfica were crowned Primeira Liga champions in 2023, but their title defense fell short as rivals Sporting CP took the crown. Despite this, Roger Schmidt initially retained his position, only to be dismissed after early setbacks in the new season. Bruno Lage has since stepped in and already secured silverware, winning the Taça da Liga by defeating Sporting on penalties in the final. In the league, they have capitalized on Rúben Amorim’s departure to close the gap on Sporting. Meanwhile, their Champions League campaign has been solid. After securing four wins and 13 points in the group stage, they advanced to the knockout rounds, where they once again faced Monaco. They won 1-0 away but had to fight hard for a 3-3 draw at home, with Anatoliy Trubin’s errors making it more complicated than necessary. Benfica has shown resilience under Lage, but their inconsistency in big matches remains a concern.
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Barcelona under flick aims to return to the top, though problems persist. More Than a Club endured a trophyless campaign last season, leading to Xavi’s dismissal despite his previous achievements and legendary status. Hansi Flick has already claimed his first silverware with a convincing Supercopa de España triumph, defeating both Athletic Bilbao and Real Madrid. In La Liga, they remain in a three-way title race with Los Blancos and Atlético Madrid. The latter recently held them to a dramatic 4-4 draw in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals. In the Champions League, they had a rocky start, losing to Monaco while down to ten men. However, aside from a draw with Atalanta, they won all other group-stage matches, advancing directly to the Round of 16. Despite Flick’s improvements, Barcelona’s defensive frailties have been exposed in recent high-scoring encounters.
In January, Blaugrana edged Benfica 5-4 in Lisbon, securing their fourth win in nine meetings. The Portuguese side has only beaten them once in this fixture. Considering their last encounter and both teams’ attacking tendencies, over 3.0 goals is a strong betting option.
Prediction for the match: Over 3.0 scored goals.
