Benfica vs Barcelona Preview, Prediction, Odds, Betting Tips 05.03.2025

• Date and Time: Wednesday, March 5, 2025, 21:00 GMT+1
• Venue: Estádio da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal

Benfica vs Barcelona Preview and Team News

Benfica Team News

Benfica’s game against Gil Vicente was postponed to accommodate their European commitments. They have a whole week of rest before facing the visitors in the Champions League. They’re scheduled to play against Barcelona in Lisbon on Wednesday and sit in 2nd place in Liga NOS, with the same number of points as Sporting.

The hosts defeated Braga in the Portuguese Cup, with Greek striker Vangelis Pavlidis scoring the only goal of the match. The team dominated throughout, only conceding six shots, none of which were on target.

Alexander Bah, Ángel Di Maria, Manu Silva, Renato Sanches, and Tiago Gouveia will be sidelined with injuries.

Benfica predicted line-up vs Barcelona (3-4-3): Soares; Carreras, Otamendi, Tomas Araujo; Dahl, Aursnes, Kökcü, Santos; Bruma, Belotti, Amdouni.

Barcelona Team News

Barcelona climbed to first position in La Liga after comfortably defeating Real Sociedad 4-0. The first quarter saw an even game before Real Sociedad captain Aritz Elustondo was sent off for a foul on Dani Olmo. 

Head coach Imanol Alguacil reorganised his side in a defensive block, but individual quality was enough for Barcelona to break through a few minutes later. 

Players like Lamine Yamal and Pedri were able to find free space through their individual brilliance, despite the right winger not appearing on the scoresheet. This was also the occasion for Gerard Martin and Marc Casadó to score their first goal in La Liga for the team, while Robert Lewandowski and Ronald Araújo also scored. 

This victory marked the 15th match without being defeated across all competitions for Barcelona, meaning they are yet to be defeated in 2025. Barça have already scored 124 goals in the 24-25 season, but head coach Hansi Flick warns that “everything can change very quickly”. 

He also revealed that he first wanted to field Gavi instead of Dani Olmo, but the former caught the flu, therefore forcing the German coach to change his plans. 

Andreas Christensen, Marc Bernal and Marc-André Ter Stegen remain sidelined through injury.

Barcelona predicted line-up vs Benfica (4-2-3-1): Szczęsny, Balde, Cubarsí, Martinez, Koundé, Pedri, de Jong, Raphinha, Gavi, Lamine Yamal, Lewandowski.

Benfica vs Barcelona Head-to-Head Statistics

Benfica have struggled to defeat Barcelona in past encounters, winning once while the Catalans claim four victories. The two teams also drew on four occasions. The last match was a few weeks ago, when Barça came out victorious (5-4) despite conceding two early goals. 

Benfica’s only victory against Barcelona dates back to 2021 when they won 3-0 in Lisbon, during the CL group stages.

Benfica vs Barcelona Player Focus

Ángel Di Maria would have been the hosts’ obvious choice had he not been injured. Despite his age, he remains one of the team’s main threats in the final third. 

Instead, Belotti is now their best chance, working as the sides’ main striker. Considering Barcelona are often careless at the back, providing him with opportunities in the penalty box could be the key to Benfica’s success.

💙❤️ pic.twitter.com/m8FvPryzwc

— Lamine Yamal 🇪🇸 (@Lamineeyamal__) March 2, 2025

Expectations will rest on Lamine Yamal’s shoulders for the visitors. The guests struggled to create without the youngsters. 

Although criticised by Spanish media for not scoring more often in the last goals, his creative role cannot be underestimated. He provided the pre-assist for Barcelona’s first goal against Real Sociedad despite the opponent setting up a compact block. 

Benfica vs Barcelona Analysis

Benfica fared well in open transitions in the Champions League, relying on a solid three-man backline. However, they’ve struggled to keep up the tempo in counter-attacks when opponents fielded better individual quality. 

This is specifically an issue against Barcelona, who will also look for an open-ended game. Even a 2-0 goal lead in the first half was not enough to secure a victory the last time, showcasing the difference in quality.

Benfica vs Barcelona Prediction

• Prediction: Barcelona to win
• Odds: 1.85 (22Bet)
• Score Prediction: Benfica 1-3 Barcelona

Although Benfica will host the game, we don’t expect a victory with absences like Di Maria and Sanches up front. The two teams already played each other once earlier this season. Barcelona won 5-4 despite the home squad starting the event strong with a two-goal lead at the end of the first half. 

VAMOSSS BARCA 🔥 pic.twitter.com/LFcMkRjnq2

— Lamine Yamal 🇪🇸 (@Lamineeyamal__) March 2, 2025

However, this is unlikely to reproduce as two of Benfica’s goals were a result of Szczęsny’s mistakes. As Hansi Flick allowed several stars to rest against Real Sociedad, visiting fans can expect better performances from players who were given little rest this season. 

Furthermore, Barcelona dominated the previous in counter-attacks, where the aggressive offside trap was a success. Considering Barça have not lost a single meeting in all competitions since December 21st, Benfica are unlikely to break their streak. 

Benfica vs Barcelona Betting Tip

• Pick: Raphinha to score
• Odds: 2.48 (22Bet)

Raphinha, one of the talents with the most played minutes this season, could enjoy some well-deserved rest this weekend. He was key in the come-back against Benfica in the previous game, as his run-ins disorientated their backline. 

In the case of another open-ended match, it would not be surprising to see him scoring if Lamine Yamal continues to focus on assisting his teammates rather than scoring himself.

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