A 2-2 draw is predicted between Benfica and Barcelona on Wednesday.
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Barcelona make the short trip to Lisbon to face Benfica in the Champions League on Wednesday.
After a 4-0 win over Famalicao at the weekend, Benfica’s confidence is high. Despite being just three points clear of 25th place in the Champions League, they experienced a letdown with a draw against Bologna on matchday six.
Renato Sanches and Tiago Gouveia are sidelined for the home side. Defeats to Braga and Sporting, on either side of the winter break, are the only losses Benfica have suffered since their defeat to Bayern Munich in early November.
Barcelona slipped up with a draw away to Getafe at the weekend. Hansi Flick’s team seemed to regain form with several domestic cup wins. However, the draw was another reminder that they have a lot of work to do if they are to stay in the La Liga title race.
It’s five wins in a row for the Catalan giants in the Champions League, however. With the bookies pricing them as clear favourites, a lot of bettors will be backing the visitors in Benfica vs Barcelona predictions.
Benfica probable XI:
Trubin; Araujo, Silva, Otamendi, Carreras; Barreiro, Florentino, Kokcu; Akturkoglu, Pavlidis, Rego.
Barcelona probable XI:
Pena; Koundea, Araujo, Cubarsi, Balde; De Jong, Pedri, Gavi; Yamal, Lewandowski, Raphinha.
Benfica have beaten Atletico Madrid and Porto emphatically at Estádio da Luz this season. Braga and Feyenoord are the only teams to win away to Benfica in 2024/25.
Barcelona have only won two of their last six proper away matches. The Supercopa de Espana was held at a neutral venue. The dramatic win away to Borussia Dortmund was an exception– Barca have dropped points to Real Sociedad, Getafe, Celta Vigo, and Real Betis since 10th November.
Dating back to the 2019/20 Champions League group stage, Benfica have only lost six times in 25 home European fixtures. They have avoided defeat against Arsenal, Barcelona, Ajax, Juventus, Inter, PSG, and Atletico over that period.
Three of Barcelona’s last five matches have cleared this line. A 3-0 win over Brest is the only of their last five Champions League fixtures which has gone under 3.5 total goals.
Benfica have scored three or more goals in three of their last four matches. Three of their last five Champions League outings have generated over 3.5 total goals.
Red Star Belgrade and Feyenoord are the only teams to have seen more goals in their Champions League matches than Barcelona (28). Goals are inevitable at both ends when Hansi Flick’s side are involved.
Vangelis Pavlidis hasn’t scored in his last six matches across all competitions, yet he remains a strong candidate to score in the Benfica vs Barcelona predictions. The Greek has stellar underlying metrics.
Pavlidis has 2.8 expected goals in the Champions League, which ranks inside the top 15 in the competition. With four goals from an expected 8.59 xG in domestic play, it’s clear he’s overdue for a goal.
Against a Barcelona defense that has shown vulnerability in recent months, Pavlidis has a prime chance to make his mark as a goal scorer.