Will the Blaugrana win their ticket to the last 16 under Xavi?
Pep Guardiola, Luis Enrique, Ronald Koeman, Sergi Barjuán and now Xavi. The 41-year-old is the fifth coach in history who has not only been on the pitch for the Blaugrana as a player in the Champions League, but who now also directs the Catalans’ fortunes from the bench in the top flight. At the weekend, the new coach made a good debut in the Derbi barceloní with a 1-0 home win.
The pressure is no less great for the Blaugrana in Group E of the top flight. If they fail to win at home, their place in the last 16 is in jeopardy. In the run-up to the match between Barcelona and Benfica Lisbon, the odds are clearly in favour of the Catalans, who, however, lost the first leg 0:3.
In addition to the fresh wind from the coaching change, the crisis-ridden Blaugrana will also be helped by the Portuguese side’s dismal away record. Benfica have won only one of their last 13 away games in the Champions League (three draws, nine defeats).
Despite the crisis of the Catalans, it is therefore quite possible to play Barcelona against Benfica Lisbon tip 1.
Barcelona – Statistics & current form
In the last 15 years alone, FC Barcelona have won the UEFA Champions League four times. In addition, there are numerous national championships and cup victories. However, not much is left of the glamour of the Catalan flagship.
In the current season, the Blaugrana have only won five of their first 13 games in La Liga, which means they have to make do with a sobering seventh place. Barca have also suffered two 3-0 defeats to Bayern Munich and Benfica Lisbon in their first year without Messi.
Sure of a place in the last 16 with a home win
The 3-0 defeat in Portugal was the first defeat for FC Barcelona in the fifth meeting between the two teams in the top flight, although the team did manage to redeem itself with two 1-0 victories over Dynamo Kiev recently. Also because the Portuguese failed to score against the Ukrainians (0-0), Barca could now book their ticket to the last 16 on their own merits with a home win in the second leg.
Under new coach Xavi, that would be the second milestone in his second competitive match as coach of the Blaugrana, following the narrow 1-0 win over city rivals Espanyol Barcelona in the Derbi barceloní.
First seven goals in four group games
When it comes to Barcelona against Benfica Lisbon, betting on a home win for the Spaniards is certainly under a good star. After all, there has never been a defeat in three international home games against the Encarnados so far (two wins, one draw).
Considering the fact that the attack was hardly able to produce anything without Messi and only produced a shocking seven shots on goal in four group games, the Blaugrana will have to improve considerably. Of the seven shots on goal, two found the net, resulting in two minimalist 1-0 victories. So at least the efficiency is right.
Projected line-up of Barcelona:
ter Stegen – Alba – García – Piqué – Mingueza – de Jong – Busquets – González – Gavi – Demir – Depay
Last matches played by Barcelona:
LaLiga
11/20 2021 – Barcelona 1 – 0 Espanyol
11/06 2021 – Celta Vigo 3 – 3 Barcelona
Champions League Grp. E
11/02 2021 – Dynamo Kiev 0 – 1 Barcelona
LaLiga
10/30 2021 – Barcelona 1 – 1 Deportivo Alaves
10/27 2021 – Rayo Vallecano 1 – 0 Barcelona
Benfica – Statistics & current form
Benfica Lisbon have also won the Champions League twice, or the European Champion Clubs’ Cup, before the Guttmann Curse broke out at the Encarnados. Since winning the final in 1962, the Águias have lost eight international finals in a row in UEFA competitions.
At the moment, however, the Portuguese would be lucky to get anywhere near a final, with only one win from their four group games so far jeopardising their progress to the knockout phase.
Benfica must play to win
Even if Jorge Jesus’ side hold on for the draw at Camp Nou, they would not only need a home win over Dynamo Kiev on matchday six, but also some shooting help from Bayern. So to keep their chances of reaching the last 16 alive, they actually need another win over the Blaugrana.
The Encarnados will be travelling as underdogs. The fact that the Águias have only won one of their last 13 away games in the Champions League certainly plays a role here.
Most goals conceded on matchdays three and four
The Encarnados’ main challenge now will be to regain their defensive stability. After keeping a clean sheet in their first two group games, Benfica conceded a total of nine goals on matchdays three and four. No other of the 32 Champions League participants conceded more goals.
At least the dress rehearsals went well for the Águias. In the league, the team beat Sporting Braga 6:1, and on Friday evening they defeated Pacos de Ferreira 4:1 in the Taca de Portugal. At national level, the capitals are now unbeaten in six competitive matches.
Predicted line-up of Benfica:
Vlachodimos – Vertonghen – Otamendi – Verissimo – Grímaldo – Lazaro – Mário – Weigl – Everton – Silva – Núnez
Last matches played by Benfica:
Cup
11/19 2021 – Benfica 4 – 1 Pacos de Ferreira
Liga Portugal
11/07 2021 – Benfica 6 – 1 Braga
Champions League Grp. E
11/02 2021 – Bayern Munich 5 – 2 Benfica
Liga Portugal
10/30 2021 – Estoril 1 – 1 Benfica
Liga Cup Group A
10/27 2021 – Vitoria de Guimaraes 3 – 3 Benfica
Barcelona – Benfica Direct comparison / H2H record
Head to head: 3 – 3 – 2
There have already been a total of eight international matches between the two teams and overall the record is quite even. In the first leg, the Encarnados celebrated their first win in the Champions League (two draws, two defeats) when they beat Barcelona 3-0
Barcelona – Benfica tip
For Barcelona against Benfica Lisbon, the prediction has to take into account that the Blaugrana have been a shadow of their former selves so far in the 2021/22 season, which was not only due to the departure of Messi but also to the numerous injuries of players like Aguero, Dembélé or even Ansu Fati. The debut game under Koeman’s successor Xavi was nevertheless encouraging on Saturday, when the Catalans were able to redeem themselves somewhat with a three-goal win in the Derbi barceloní.
In addition, things have not been perfect for Benfica either. The Encarnados won only one group game and conceded more goals on the third and fourth matchday than all other participants in the top flight. Against this backdrop, the Catalans, who are strong at home, can certainly be expected to win.
We therefore recommend tip 1, for which betting odds of 1.70 are available for Barcelona against Benfica Lisbon.
