The first leg of the 2024/25 Champions League Round of 16 between Benfica (Portugal) and Barcelona (Spain) will take place on March 5 at the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon. Benfica vs. Barcelona: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Benfica
The Lisbon side overcame Monaco in the playoffs, securing their spot with an away victory in the first leg (1:0 and 3:3). Notably, in their last six Champions League matches, the team has suffered only one defeat, achieving three wins and two draws. Over the past four seasons, the Portuguese have reached the Round of 16 in this tournament for the third time. In the previous two attempts, the club advanced past this stage.
- The club has not lost in 9 of their last 12 Champions League games (6 wins and 3 draws).
- Benfica opened the scoring in their last four matches in this European competition.
- At least four goals have been scored in 5 of Benfica's last 6 home matches in this tournament.
Predicted lineup for Benfica (4-3-3)
Anatoliy Trubin – Antonio Silva, Alvaro Carreras, Samuel Dahl, Nicolas Otamendi – Leandro Barreiro, Zeki Amdouni, Orkun Kökçü – Andreas Schjelderup, Vangelis Pavlidis, Kerem Aktürkoğlu.
Midfielders Renato Sanches and Manu Silva, defender Alexander Bah, and forward Tiago Gouveia will miss the match due to injuries.
Barcelona
In the 2021/22 and 2022/23 seasons, the Spaniards failed to advance from their group to the Champions League playoffs. However, in the last edition, the Catalans reached the quarter-finals of the tournament, where they were eliminated by PSG (3:2 and 1:4). Once again, the team has advanced to the Round of 16, bypassing the playoffs, as Hans Flick's squad secured second place in the group stage standings, winning 6 out of 8 games (1 draw and 1 loss). It's also worth noting that Barcelona's matches were the most prolific in the main stage of this European competition, averaging 5.1 goals, with the team being the top scorers with 28 goals.
- Both teams scored in 12 of Barcelona's last 14 Champions League encounters.
- At least three goals were scored in Barcelona's last 11 matches in this tournament.
- In all seven previous group stage matches, the club scored no less than two goals.
Predicted lineup for Barcelona (4-3-3)
Wojciech Szczesny – Jules Koundé, Eric García, Pau Cubarsi, Alejandro Balde – Marc Casadó, Pedri, Fermín López – Lamine Yamal, Raphinha Dias, Robert Lewandowski.
Due to injuries, goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen, defender Andreas Christensen, and midfielder Marc Bernal are unavailable.
Benfica vs. Barcelona: Match Prediction
Matches between these opponents in the current Champions League have been notable for their high-scoring nature. The head-to-head encounter in the 7th round of the group stage in Lisbon ended with a hockey-like score of 5:4 in favor of the Spanish team. Additionally, attention should be paid to Benfica's home games in this tournament, where at least four goals have been scored in five of the last six matches.
As mentioned earlier, Barcelona's group stage matches were the most entertaining and high-scoring. In eight matches in the main stage, there were at least four goals six times, and three goals twice. Moreover, in all five of Barcelona's previous away games in this tournament, at least three goals were scored, with both teams finding the net in each instance.
I anticipate that the first game will feature three or more goals. Both teams average more than two goals per match in their national leagues. My prediction: Total over 3
