Benfica vs Barcelona facts

There is a rapid reunion for Benfica and Barcelona as they meet for the second time this season in the UEFA Champions League round of 16.

The Spanish side snatched a last-gasp victory in a nine-goal thriller in Lisbon on Matchday 7, helping them to second place in the league phase and direct qualification for the round of 16.

Benfica were 16th in the league phase, six points behind Barça, and edged out Monaco in the knockout phase play-offs (1-0 a, 3-3 h) to reach the round of 16 for the third time in four years.

Previous meetings

Matches 10
Benfica wins 2
Barcelona wins 4
Draws 4
Benfica goals 11
Barcelona goals 13

1961 European Cup final
Benfica 3-2 Barcelona
Bela Guttmann's Benfica prevailed in Bern to claim their first European Cup. Although Sándor Kocsis put the Blaugrana ahead, Benfica hit back through José Águas, an Antoni Ramallets own goal and Mário Coluna before Zoltán Czibor's strike.

1991/92 European Cup group stage
Benfica 0-0 Barcelona
Barcelona 2-1 Benfica
Barcelona secured their place in the final – and went on to claim their first European Cup – against Sven-Göran Eriksson's Benfica in the concluding round of matches in the inaugural group stage. Hristo Stoichkov and José María Bakero scored for Johan Cruyff's side, with Brito replying.

2005/06 Champions League quarter-finals
Benfica 0-0 Barcelona
Barcelona 2-0 Benfica
Barcelona's second European Cup followed a quarter-final defeat of a Benfica team led by former Barça defender, and future coach, Ronald Koeman. Second-leg goals from Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto'o took Frank Rijkaard's team through.

2012/13 Champions League group stage
Benfica 0-2 Barcelona
Barcelona 0-0 Benfica
Goals from Alexis Sánchez and Cesc Fàbregas earned Barcelona victory in Lisbon on Matchday 2, the Camp Nou return on Matchday 6 finishing goalless, with Barcelona first in the section and Benfica third.

2021/22 Champions League group stage
Benfica 3-0 Barcelona
Barcelona 0-0 Benfica
Darwin Núñez scored either side of a Rafa Silva effort as Benfica claimed their first win against Barcelona since the 1961 final; a goalless draw at the Camp Nou on Matchday 5 helped the Portuguese side progress to the last 16 ahead of their opponents.

2024/25 Champions League league phase
Benfica 4-5 Barcelona
A Vangelis Pavlidis hat-trick in the first-half hour helped Benfica to lead 3-1 and 4-2, but Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha both scored twice for Barcelona, the Brazilian's second in the 96th minute snatching a remarkable victory.

Form guide

Benfica

Record vs Spanish clubs: W8 D9 L14 F40 A47
Home record vs Spanish clubs: W4 D5 L6

A 4-0 win against Atlético de Madrid on Matchday 2 is Benfica's only success in five games against Spanish visitors (D1 L3).

That is one of only two Eagles victories in their last 12 home games against Liga visitors (D4 L6) and one of only two in the last seven they have not lost.

The 3-0 win at home to Barcelona in 2021 is one of only three victories in Benfica's last 23 games against Spanish sides, home and away (D8 L12).

Benfica have not played a two-legged knockout tie against Spanish opponents since losing 1-3 on aggregate against Getafe in the 2007/08 UEFA Cup round of 16 (1-2 h, 0-1 a). That made their two-legged record against Liga teams W2 L5, with defeats in the last four.

This season's defeat of Atlético de Madrid on Matchday 2 is Benfica's only success in their last nine home Champions League games; they have lost five, including to Feyenoord (1-3) and Barcelona in 2024/25.

The Portuguese side have won five of their six round of 16 ties, most recently beating Club Brugge in 2022/23 (2-0 a, 5-1 h).

Barcelona

Record vs Portuguese clubs: W20 D5 L7 F58 A31
Away record vs Portuguese clubs: W7 D3 L5

Barcelona played Porto in last season's group stage, winning 1-0 away and 2-1 at home.

The 2021 defeat at Benfica is the Blaugrana's only loss in their last 21 matches against Portuguese opponents, home and away (W16 D4), since a 1-0 loss at Belenenses in the 1987/88 UEFA Cup first round.

Barça failed to win any of their first six games away to Portuguese clubs (D2 L4) but have been victorious in seven of the subsequent nine (D1 L1).

The Spanish side's last knockout meeting against Portuguese opponents was that 2006 quarter-final win against Benfica – making their record in those two-legged contests W6 L1 with victories in the last six.

Last season Barcelona were 4-2 aggregate winners against Napoli at this stage (1-1 a, 3-1 h), making it 15 wins in 18 round of 16 ties.

After losing 2-1 at Monaco on Matchday 1 this season, subsequent wins at Crvena Zvezda (5-2), Borussia Dortmund (3-2) and Benfica have made it 18 victories in Barcelona's last 40 away European matches (D10 L12).

Links and trivia

Has played in Portugal:
Raphinha (Vitória SC 2015–18, Sporting CP 2018/19)

Before Matchday 7 Raphinha had played 12 times against Benfica, winning just one, drawing one and losing ten. His only previous goal came in Sporting's 3-1 defeat in the 2017 Portuguese Super Cup final.

Have played in Spain:
Nicolás Otamendi (Valencia 2014/15)
Álvaro Carreras (Deportivo de La Coruña youth 2012–17, Real Madrid youth 2017–20, Granada 2023)
Florentino (Getafe 2021/22 loan)
Ángel Di María (Real Madrid 2010–14)

Di María's record against Barcelona for Real Madrid was W5 D4 L7.

Have played together:
Nicolás Otamendi & Eric García (Manchester City 2018–20)
Renato Sanches & Robert Lewandowski (Bayern München 2016/17, 2018/19)
Kerem Aktürkoğlu & Iñaki Peña (Galatasaray 2022)
Ángel Di María & Wojciech Szczęsny (Juventus 2022/23)

International team-mates:
Alexander Bah & Andreas Christensen (Denmark)
Álvaro Fernández & Pau Cubarsí, Fermín López, Pablo Torre (Spain Under-21)

Lewandowski scored seven goals in six appearances against Benfica while at Bayern, including a hat-trick in a 5-2 win in the 2021/22 group stage.

António Silva scored past Szczęsny in Benfica's 4-3 victory over Juventus in the 2022/23 Champions League group stage.

Benfica's winter signing Andrea Belotti has scored three Serie A goals past Szczęsny – two for Torino against Roma and once against Juventus.

Latest news

Benfica

Benfica's weekend game against Gil Vicente, scheduled for Sunday, has been rearranged for 28 March.

The 3-3 second-leg draw against Monaco is the only one of Benfica's last eight matches in all competitions they have not won and the only one of the Eagles' last five fixtures in which they conceded a goal.

Vangelis Pavlidis got the only goal at home to Braga in the Portuguese Cup quarter-finals on 26 February, making it 11 in ten appearances in all competitions.

Benfica will played fourth division Tirsense in the Portuguese Cup semi-finals with the first leg scheduled for 1 April.

Angél Di María (out since 12 February) and Florentino (15 February) have been sidelined by thigh injuries.

Alexander Bah and Manu Silva are expected to miss the rest of the season having both suffered knee injuries against Moreirense on 8 February.

Out since 24 August with a dislocated shoulder, striker Tiago Gouveia underwent knee surgery in January.

Having been absent between 10 November and 4 January with a thigh muscle injury, Renato Sanches suffered another thigh problem on 11 January.

Barcelona

On Sunday Barcelona went top of La Liga with a 4-0 win at home to ten-man Real Sociedad, making it six successive league victories.

Barcelona have scored 124 goals in 40 matches across all competitions, the most by a La Liga side at this point since Real Madrid's 132 goals in 1959/60. They have hit five goals or more in 11 matches, and scored four in a further seven.

Robert Lewandowski got the fourth goal on Sunday to make it 11 in 12 matches in 2025 and 34 goals this season – more than any player from the top five European leagues and his most prolific campaign for Barcelona, surpassing his 33 in 2022/23.

Barcelona are unbeaten in 2025 in 15 matches across all competitions (W12 D3).

On 25 February Barcelona drew 4-4 at home to Atlético de Madrid in the Copa del Rey semi-final first leg, a game in which they trailed 0-2 and led 4-2. The return is in Madrid on 2 April.

Pau Cubarsí scored his first Barcelona goal against Atleti.

Raphinha has 24 goals this season having managed ten in 2023/24. His 13 in La Liga is seven more than last season.

Ansu Fati missed Sunday's win due to illness.

Andreas Christensen has not played since 17 August due to an Achilles injury; having returned to the squad, he suffered a muscular injury at the end of January.

Marc Bernal (out since 27 August) and Marc-André ter Stegen (22 September) are not expected to play again this season after suffering serious knee injuries.