Opponent watch: Benfica key veteran ruled out of Barcelona encounter | OneFootball

Angel Di Maria has been officially ruled out of Benfica’s squad for their Champions League round-of-16 second-leg clash against Barcelona, reports SPORT.

The Argentine international, who also missed the first leg in Lisbon, failed to recover in time for the match at Estadi Olimpic de Montjuic and is not travelling with the rest of the squad to Catalonia. Instead, he has remained in Lisbon to continue his rehabilitation.

The 37-year-old has 14 goals and eight assists from 32 matches in all competitions for the Portuguese giants this season. As such, his absence will be a blow for the Portuguese giants.

No Di Maria but two players return

However, Tomas Araujo has been included in the squad that departed from Humberto Delgado Airport in Lisbon. The defender missed Benfica’s last league match against Nacional due to muscle overload.

Bruno Lage opted to rest him in that fixture, prioritising squad rotations to keep key players fresh for the decisive encounter in Barcelona.

Another key player making the trip to Barcelona is Florentino Luis. The defensive midfielder missed the first leg due to injury but was included in the squad for the match against Nacional. However, he remained on the bench throughout as Benfica comfortably won 3-0.

Florentino Luis will be available for Benfica. (Photo by Gualter Fatia/Getty Images)

Florentino will be crucial in Benfica’s attempt to neutralise Barcelona’s midfield. Having previously played in La Liga on loan at Getafe, he is familiar with Spanish football.

In fact, Barcelona once considered him as a potential successor to Sergio Busquets but ultimately opted for Oriol Romeu due to financial constraints.

Meanwhile, Alvaro Carreras also travelled to Catalonia with the squad, even though he is suspended and will not be available for the match.

Despite this, the former Real Madrid academy player wanted to be with his teammates and support them from the stands.

Carreras’ absence is a significant blow for Benfica, as he caused Barcelona considerable problems in the first leg.

Jules Kounde struggled to contain him, forcing Hansi Flick to reposition Raphinha on the right flank, despite Barça being a man down following Pau Cubarsi’s red card, to help defend against the attacking full-back.