Barcelona will face S.L. Benfica in the Champions League on 21st January. This will be the seventh out of the 8 games to be played in the new Champions League group stage format. With Barcelona being second in the League Table, this is a chance to stay on top and qualify for the next stage.
Barcelona’s UCL Journey so far
Barcelona fell short in their last La Liga game against Getafe, where the Catalans dropped 2 points, and the game ended 1-1. With the Champions League journey Barcelona has been in impeccable form, they have won 5 out of 6 games in the Champions League so far.
Barcelona has the best-attacking stats in Europe, scoring the most goals this season, with 2s. Barcelona started off their campaign with a loss to AS Monaco in France, where they lost 2-1 due to an early red card received by Eric Garcia.
Later, Barcelona shifted their gear and got their first victory of the 24-25 UCL campaign against Young Boys with the score-line ending 5-0. Barcelona continued their run smashing Bayern with a 4-1 victory and later Red Star with a 5-2 win. Barcelona claimed the next 6 points winning against Brest and Borussia Dortmund.
Barcelona vs Benfica
Barcelona will go into this game to get to the finish line and qualify for the next stage. Another motivating factor will be to avenge the poor performance against Getafe in the last game.
Benfica are difficult opposition, especially when they play Barcelona in their own home. The 2021-22 game against Benfica was a nightmare for Barcelona where they suffered a 3-0 defeat and this led the Catalans to play the Europa League. This time Barcelona will be looking to complete the unfinished business and claim the victory.
Olmo injured
Barcelona will be going to this game without their starlet Dani Olmo. Barcelona published their statement on Dani Olmo’s injury stating:
“First-team player Dani Olmo has a right calf strain. He will miss the next match and his evolution will determine when he returns to first-team activities.” Credits: FC Barcelona
Barcelona will be looking to shift things in the midfield ahead of this game due to Olmo’s setback. I think Hansi Flick will be looking to start Gavi as he has been phenomenal since coming back from his ACL injury.
Predicted Lineups and Predictions
Barcelona predicted lineup vs Getafe (4-2-3-1): Pena(GK), Kounde, Araujo, Cubarsi, Balde, Casado, Pedri, Yamal, Gavi, Raphinha, Lewandowski. Credits: SportingNews
Benfica predicted lineup (4-3-3, right to left): Trubin (GK), Bah, Araujo, Martinez, Carreras—Aursnes, Luis, Kokcu, Di Maria, Cabral, Akturkoglu. Credits: SportingNews
In my opinion, this will be a very end-to-end game with both teams looking for counter opportunities. Barcelona will look to take advantage of the offside trap and hurt Benfica on the counters. Benfica is not a team that will play low-block and I think Barcelona will capitalize on the spaces between the lines. Pedri will be important to look for those balls and create chances. My prediction for the game would be 3-1 to Barcelona. Do share your thoughts in the comment section below.