The Estadio Olímpico Lluís Companys will be the stage for a deciding clash this Tuesday. Barcelona and Benfica battle for a Champions League quarterfinal spot. The Spanish squad comes with the luxury of a draw after the 1-0 victory in Lisbon. The Portuguese squad, however, will have to overcome history in order to advance.
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At Estádio da Luz, Benfica managed to take advantage of the red card of Pau Cubarsí, but were unable to turn their advantage in numbers into score. Instead, Barcelona rode out the pressure and relied on a pivotal goal from Raphinha, coupled with a solid performance from Szczęsny, who won the match away from home.
Now, in the home leg, Barcelona will qualify with a draw, while Benfica need to win to revive hopes. But does Catalan team's dominance guarantee sleepless nights no more? Or can the Portuguese club stun and make history?
Barcelona has history on its side
Having talked of the previous meetings, Barcelona enters the game as the hot favorite. The Catalan team only lost once out of the last 10 against Benfica in European football and has never lost at home to the Portuguese team (two wins, two draws).
Apart from that, Barcelona has already beaten Benfica twice this year, away from home: 5-4 in January and 1-0 last week. While the statistics are good, Benfica has extra motivation: it has never lost to the same team three times in the same edition of a European competition.
Another piece of data supporting Barcelona's popularity is its eight-match unbeaten run in the Champions League (seven victories and one draw). The team had not enjoyed such a dominant sequence in one season since 2018/19, when it went 11 games without losing before being knocked out by Liverpool in the semifinals.
Barcelona's aim is to not take anything for granted and confirm their place with Lille vs. Borussia Dortmund's victor.
Benfica must break records to advance
Benfica's mission before them is gigantic. The Portuguese team has never defeated Barcelona outside of home in European competitions and has netted no goals in the last three away matches against the Catalans.
The statistics are not in their favor. Two other teams have played Benfica away from home more often and denied them victory: Bayern Munich (7) and Manchester United (5).
The other factor working against the Portuguese side is its history of comebacks. Benfica has been eliminated five times out of six when it lost the first leg in Champions League knockout stages. The only time it managed to turn the tables was in the 2011/12 season, when it beat Zenit St. Petersburg 2-0 in the second leg after losing the first 3-2.
If Benfica is to replicate that feat again, it will not only have to play optimally but will have to redo history. There has not been a Portuguese win since 1972, when FC Porto thrashed Barcelona 1-0. Since then, there have been 12 losses and two draws against Spanish clubs.
Raphinha is Barcelona's trump card for getting qualification
Match winner Raphinha is one of the biggest Champions League players still active today. The Brazilian has already played a hand in 20 Barcelona goals in the competition (12 goals and eight assists), and Benfica's goal was no exception.
With this type of record, Raphinha can once more be the game-changer for Barcelona. Pedri is another key component in Barcelona's machine who is the club leader in key Champions League statistics:
- 57 crucial passes
- 307 successful passes
- 385 high-intensity pressing actions