Barcelona v Benfica

Barcelona vs Benfica Preview

Barcelona hold the advantage of a 1-0 lead following last week's narrow 1st leg win away from home at Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica in Lisbon, and the Spanish giants will be keen to put this round of last 16 Champions League tie to bed when they return to the home surroundings of their Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys for this 2nd leg encounter on Tuesday evening.

Benfica bounced back from their midweek 1-0 loss to Barcelona on the weekend in the Portuguese top flight as Bruno Lage's side registered a comprehensive 3-0 home win against Nacional in the Primeira Liga, but the Portuguese outfit face a tough assignment in Spain on Tuesday night.

Last week's 1-0 win away at Benfica not only placed Barcelona with one foot already in the quarter-finals of the Champions League but also extended the Spanish hosts' unbeaten sequence in all competitions to 16 matches overall which gives Hans Flick's side plenty of confidence and momentum heading into this deciding leg.

Even more impressive is the fact that Barcelona have picked up no fewer than 13 wins within this 16-match period and this sort of form should see the Spanish hosts over the line here on Tuesday evening, especially with home support behind them.

However, Barcelona's results at home overall have not been without the odd hiccup as the hosts have lost three of their last 10 home games while goals for both teams have occurred in six of these last 10 home games as well.

Benfica have it all to do when they make their way to the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys on Tuesday evening after last week's 1-0 defeat at home to Barcelona, and the visitors must now score at least two goals if they are to mount a serious challenge for a place in the quarter-finals of this season's Champions League.

Hope is not lost though for Bruno Lage's side as the Portuguese visitors have been dealt just the single loss from their last 10 matches in all competitions and having also collected eight wins within this recent period, Benfica do stand a chance of overturning this 1-0 deficit on Tuesday evening.

Benfica have scored two goals or more in six of these last 10 games across all competitions which gives them a chance of at least giving Barcelona a real run for their money at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, especially as form away from home has also produced promising results as well.

Indeed, Benfica have lost just three out of their last 18 outings on the road overall along with picking up 13 wins in the process.

Barcelona v Benfica Verdict

Barcelona look set to finish the job here on Tuesday night but Benfica may make life difficult for the Spaniards by hitting the back of the net.

Therefore, our main bet will be BTTS Yes @ 1.53

Other side bets worth considering:

Barcelona win & BTTS Yes @ 2.37

Correct Score: Barcelona 2-1 @ 9.50