Barcelona and Benfica icon’s honest take on UCL clash: ‘They will compete on equal terms’ | OneFootball

Barcelona pulled off their best win of the season last week at Estadio da Luz when they recorded a 1-0 result over Benfica after going down a man early.

The Catalans did well to defend and hold off pressure from the Portuguese side resiliently and Raphinha’s goal eventually was enough to give Barcelona the lead in the tie.

Tomorrow evening, they take to the field at home for the second leg and all eyes will be on the quarterfinal spot that is up for grabs.

Former Barcelona and Benfica star speaks

Speaking to the media ahead of the upcoming second-leg clash between Barcelona and Benfica, former player Javier Saviola gave his two cents as a neutral player.

After all, his words on the game are worth their weight in gold considering that he has played for both teams in the past.

Saviola began by praising the first-leg clash between the two sides in Portugal last week where Barcelona took home a 1-0 lead despite playing with a numerical disadvantage.

“I loved the first game in Lisbon. I really like how Benfica play, and how they attack. They are also very solid defensively with their two central defenders,” he said.

“They give a lot of strength to the team. They are very good offensively, they are powerful. The coach is very intelligent,” he added.

Elaborating on Benfica’s chances of mounting a comeback tomorrow night, the Argentine legend said,

“Benfica are a great team. They’re doing a great job. And I think they will compete on equal terms in Montjuic.”

Barcelona and Benfica battle again on Tuesday. (Photo by Gualter Fatia/Getty Images)

“I think they will have the same approach: try to attack from the first minute, try to score as soon as possible so that the tie is a little more favourable,” he continued.

Saviola also stressed the importance of keeping a clean sheet for Benfica and how Barcelona can close the game with some early goals.

“It will be very important to keep the score because if Barça starts to score, it will be very difficult for Benfica to come back,” he stated.

Speaking on the potency of Barcelona’s attack and the style of play both teams will likely feature tomorrow night, Saviola said:

“They [Benfica] couldn’t get an advantage against Barcelona with one extra player. And going to Barcelona with a disadvantage is complicated.”

“We already know that Barça, with the draw in favour, will have many spaces, it will play the counterattack. They have players like Lamine and also Raphinha, who are at a very high level,” he added.

Finally, the former player insisted that Barcelona cannot take Benfica lightly and that the game was open.

“Benfica are going to look for the match, they have players and a technically very good squad to turn around a result that is minimal. It’s going to be a great game and Benfica are going to Montjuic to compete.”

Source: Mundo Deportivo