SL Benfica vs Barcelona: Preview, Odds, Form Guide and Players to Watch (5 March) | OneFootball

FC Barcelona will travel to Lisbon this week to face SL Benfica in a repeat of the 1961 European Cup final. On that occasion, it was Benfica who emerged victorious to start a golden era in the club’s history. The Lisbon side would go on to replicate the feat in 1962 (defeating Real Madrid) and would then appear in the European Cup finals in 1963, 1965 and 1968.

Gone are the days of Eusébio, Coluna and António Simões, and Benfica will have their hands full on Wednesday when they take on a talented Barcelona squad that comes into the game as heavy favorites. Barcelona have won five Champions League titles over their storied history, and are considered one of the most complete teams on the continent this season.

Barcelona and Benfica are both in tremendous form coming into the clash. Barcelona have not lost a match in 2025, while Benfica have not been defeated in eight consecutive games. With the first leg set to take place at the Estadio da Luz, the Benfiquistas will be confident about securing a favorable result, but the question remains whether Bruno Lage’s side can overcome the Spanish giants over two legs.

Preview

There were some mixed feelings when Barcelona decided to sack club legend Xavi at the end of the 2023-24 and bring in Hansi Flick. The German manager had failed to bring out the best from his national team players at the World Cup, and had been out of work for nearly nine months before being handed the opportunity to revive a sleeping giant in Barcelona. A fresh approach, however, has done wonders for Barcelona and seems to be exactly what they needed.

Barcelona have shown off some dazzling football over the course of the 2024-25 campaign. Flick’s side currently sit atop the league standings and have progressed to the semi-final stage of the Copa Del Rey competition. Barcelona have not lost in 15 consecutive games and are undefeated in 2025. Their last defeat came at the hands of Diego Simeone’s Atlético Madrid on 21 December.

In the Champions League, the Blaugrana cruised into the knockout round after recording six victories in over their first seven matches. Wins over Young Boys, Bayern Munich, Red Star Belgrade, Stade Brestois, Borussia Dortmund and Benfica were enough to see the club secure an automatic qualification to the round of 16. A 2-0 defeat to Monaco and a 2-2 draw against Atalanta in the final round of games (Barcelona was already guaranteed a top eight finish), were the only blemishes in another otherwise neat run of games in the group stage.

Overall, Barcelona have scored 28 goals and conceded 13 in the Champions League.

Target man Robert Lewandowski has provided most of the the goals for Barcelona. The Polish striker has scored an incredible 34 goals in all competitions, with nine of those coming in the CL.

Raphinha has also been in fine form, recording 24 goals and providing 18 assists over the course of the season.

Like their Spanish neighbors, Benfica have had plenty of success in Europe over their illustrious history, but the club has not progressed beyond the quarter-final stage of Europe’s top competition since 1990. The Eagles have done well at the tournament over the last four seasons, reaching the quarter-finals in the 2021-22 season before losing out to Liverpool, and then again in 2022-23 where they were knocked out by Inter Milan.

Wednesday’s clash will be a massive test for a Benfica team that has already lost to the Catalan side in the group stage. They will likely go into the match without Alexander Bah, Tiago Gouveia, Manu Silva and Renato Sanchez, who are all sidelined with injuries (Ángel Di María is doubtful as well), making the task that much more difficult.

Despite a long list of injuries, Bruno Lage and his side will feel confident as they prepare for this mouthwatering clash. The manager has done well to turn Benfica’s season around, after a series of underwhelming performances saw the club sack Roger Schmidt in August. Under Lage, they have already won the Allianz Cup (Taça da Liga), and have qualified to the semi-final round of the Portuguese Cup. Benfica sits second in the Primeira Liga standings, only three points behind Sporting CP with a match in hand.

In the group stage of the Champions League, Benfica finished with four wins, a draw and three losses to finish 16th. They went on to defeat AS Monaco 1-0 in the first leg of the round of 16. A 3-3 draw in the second leg was enough to see them progress. Overall, they have scored 20 goals and conceded 15 over 10 matches.

Evangelos Pavlídis has been the team’s top scorer this season with 18 goals in all competitions. The Greek forward who was signed from AZ Alkmaar has cemented his place as Lage’s main striker over the last two months. Kerem Aktürkoğlu has also been a key figure in Benfica’s attack, amassing 11 goals and eight assists in all competitions this season.

Odds

Benfica 3.80, Barcelona 1.80, Draw 4.30

Over 3.5 total goals: 1.85, Under 3.5 goals: 1.70

*All odds provided from Betano.pt. Odds are subject to change prior to kick off.

Form Guide (All Competitions)

Benfica:

Barcelona:

Head-to-head Record

Benfica and Benfica have previously met on 10 occasions in European competitions. Barcelona hold the advantage over the Lisbon club, winning four, drawing two and losing two times.

Historically, the tie has been a closely-contested and low scoring affair with four goalless draws between the sides.

The most recent match between these two teams was a thrilling back-and-forth encounter at the Estádio da Luz on January 21 that finished 5-4 in favor of Barcelona, with Raphinha playing the role of hero with a late injury-time goal.

Players to Watch

Evangelos Pavlídis has been in stunning form over the last few months. The Greek striker has six goals and two assists in his last four CL games. He produced a memorable first half hat trick against Barcelona when the clubs met in January, scoring three times in 30 minutes.

Benfica struggled last season after failing to bring in an adequate replacement for Gonçalo Ramos. In Pavlidis, however, they seem to have found an all-rounded No. 9 that is capable of producing big goals at big moments. This season, Pavlídis has eight goals and fours assists in the Champions League.

All eyes will be on teenager Lamine Yamal when Barcelona take the field on Wednesday. The 17-year-old is one of the most exciting young prospects in world football. The crafty winger was phenomenal at the 2024 Euros, helping guide his nation to the trophy, and has continued his fine form this season. Yamal has scored two goals and has two assists in the CL.