The Nou Camp will welcome Benfica on Tuesday night for what should be an exciting Champions League match.
Benfica had never defeated the Blaugrana at home until their matchday two meeting. An early goal from Darwin Nunez set the stage for a memorable and historic evening at the Estádio da Luz.
This time around, Jorge Jesus will be hoping for a similar outcome.
With just two matches remaining in the group stage, both sides come into this fixture with different requirements.
The hosts know a win guarantees them a place in the knockout stage. Anything less will delay the decision for matchday six, which is less favorable for the Catalan side when looking at it on paper.
In his pre-match press conference Monday afternoon, Jorge Jesus said his side’s mindset would be to play for the win.
Although a draw still gives Benfica a chance with Dinamo Kyiv coming to town, controlling our fate will be crucial.
We’ve seen many scenarios where a side goes in with the don’t lose mentality, and that’s precisely what they walk away with, a loss.
Knowing that Barcelona travel to Munich on matchday six makes you hope that the Bavarian’s wouldn’t just roll over. That would mean that even a draw for Benfica against Barcelona and then a victory against Dinamo Kyiv would be enough to see them through as long as Bayern Munich doesn’t lose. But, do we want to take the chance?
Sure, a draw keeps us in it and dependant on ourselves, while a draw sets up an eventful final matchday.
Benfica arrives off a 4-1 home victory in the Taça de Portugal Friday night. It certainly wasn’t as easy as the scoreline suggests, but their offensive efficiency will have Jorge Jesus wanting to continue that trend Tuesday evening.
The encarnados scored six past Braga before the international break and have scored 10 in their last two official matches. Can an attack consisting of Rafa’s pace deliver a fatal blow to Xavi’s early days as Barcelona manager?
A slim 1-0 win at the weekend over Espanhol in Xavi’s debut was a good start, but it’s clear to see that there’s a lot of work to be done. They are far from the Barcelona we grew up watching, and the hope is that a club legend can lead them back to glory, knowing it won’t happen overnight.
Given their financial constraints, progressing to the knockout stage would be a pleasant injection of cash, but it will take a lot more than the history associated with their name to get the job done.
Barcelona will want to repay the favor after losing 3-0 in Lisbon, but what remains to be seen is whether the hosts will go for it or play for the draw. A draw not only keeps it all very open but would also give Benfica the head-to-head advantage between the two.
Will Barcelona push to book their place in the next stage in front of their home crowd, with the potential of exposing themselves defensively, or will they play it safe waiting for a mistake to capitalize on?
Neither side will want to lose. Given the realities they are both living, as was the case in Lisbon, Benfica has yet another excellent opportunity to go up against a Barcelona side in a rebuilding phase.
How do you feel about the match? Confident? Uncertain? Leave your thoughts and prediction in the comments below.
