Benfica vs Barcelona facts

Matchday 7 of the UEFA Champions League brings together two former European champions as Benfica take on Barcelona in Lisbon.

Benfica – who claimed their first European Cup at Barcelona's expense in 1961 – have ten points from six games, drawing 0-0 at home to debutants Bologna in the most recent. Barça became the second team after Liverpool to secure a knockout phase berth on the basis of the Matchday 6 results, their own 3-2 success at Borussia Dortmund making it 15 points and five successive wins.

Previous meetings

Matches 9
Benfica wins 2
Barcelona wins 3
Draws 4
Benfica goals 7
Barcelona goals 8

1961 European Cup final
Benfica 3-2 Barcelona
Bela Guttmann's Benfica prevailed in Bern. Although Sándor Kocsis (21) put the Blaugrana ahead, Benfica hit back through José Águas (31), an Antoni Ramallets own goal (32) and Mário Coluna (55) before Zoltán Czibor's strike (75).

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 (19) and Samuel Eto'o (89) 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. That was the first season in which the winners between Barcelona and Benfica did not go on to lift the European Cup.

2021/22 Champions League group stage
Benfica 3-0 Barcelona
Barcelona 0-0 Benfica
Darwin Núñez (3, 79pen) scored either side of a Rafa Silva effort (69) as Benfica claimed their first win against Barcelona since the 1961 final; a goalless draw at the Camp Nou on Matchday 5 ultimately helped the Portuguese side progress to the last 16 ahead of their opponents.

Form guide

Benfica

Record vs Spanish clubs: W8 D9 L13 F36 A42
Home record vs Spanish clubs: W4 D5 L5

The 4-0 win against Atlético de Madrid on Matchday 2 was Benfica's first in four games against Spanish visitors (D1 L2).

That was only the Eagles' second win in their last 11 home games against Liga visitors (D4 L5) and one of only two in the last six they have not lost.

The 3-0 win at home to Barcelona in 2021 is one of only three victories in Benfica's last 22 games against Spanish sides, home and away (D8 L11).

This is Benfica's 19th appearance in the Champions League proper, and a 14th in the last 15 seasons.

The Eagles reached quarter-finals in 2021/22 and 2022/23 but were unable to progress to the knockout rounds last season, finishing third in Group D. Roger Schmidt's side went on to the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals, where Marseille ended their run (2-2 agg, 2-4 pens).

This season's defeat of Atlético is Benfica's only success in their last seven home Champions League games; they have lost four, including 1-3 to Feyenoord on Matchday 3.

European champions in 1961 and 1962, defeating Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively, Benfica have lost in five other European Cup finals, most recently in 1990.

The Lisbon club let slip their Portuguese Liga title in 2023/24, finishing second to local rivals Sporting CP.

Benfica parted company with Schmidt on 31 August. On 5 September they named Bruno Lage, head coach between January 2019 and July 2020, as his replacement.

Barcelona

Record vs Portuguese clubs: W19 D5 L7 F53 A27
Away record vs Portuguese clubs: W6 D3 L5

Barcelona played Benfica's domestic rivals 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 20 matches against Portuguese opponents, home and away (W15 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 six of the subsequent eight (D1 L1).

This is Barcelona's 29th campaign in the Champions League proper, a competition record they share with Real Madrid. They have featured every season since 2003/04.

The five-time European champions reached the quarter-finals or better every season between 2007/08 and 2019/20, winning the title in 2009, 2011 and 2015, but reached the round of 16 for the first time in three campaigns in 2023/24.

Under Xavi Hernández, Barcelona finished top of their section and then beat Napoli in the round of 16 (1-1 a, 3-1 h). They won 3-2 at Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of the quarter-finals and went 1-0 up in the return, but ultimately lost 1-4 to bow out.

The win in Dortmund last time out was only Barcelona's 17th in their last 39 away European matches (D10 L12); they were beaten 2-1 at Monaco on Matchday 1 but triumphed 5-2 at Crvena Zvezda on Matchday 4.

The Catalan club relinquished their Liga title in 2023/24, finishing second ten points behind Real Madrid.

Barcelona replaced Xavi with former Bayern and Germany coach Hansi Flick in the summer.

Links and trivia

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

Raphinha has played 12 times against Benfica, winning just one, drawing one and losing ten. His only 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 Luís (Getafe 2021/22 loan)
Ángel Di María (Real Madrid 2010–14)

Di María's record against Barcelona for Real Madrid was W5 D4 L7, while he scored twice past Marc-André ter Stegen in Paris Saint-Germain's 4-0 first leg victory in the 2016/17 Champions League round of 16.

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)
Arthur Cabral & Raphinha (Brazil)
Álvaro Fernández & Pau Cubarsí, Fermín López, Pablo Torre (Spain Under-21)

Otamendi and Di María were in Argentina's starting line-up against France, whose side included Jules Koundé, in the 2022 FIFA World Cup final, Di María scoring in a 3-3 draw.

Zeki Amdouni and Ferran Torres were both on target as Spain won 4-1 in Switzerland in the UEFA Nations League on 8 September.

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.

Latest news

Benfica

The Eagles have won five of their nine games in all competitions since Matchday 6 (D2 L2).

On Friday Leandro Barreiro scored his first Benfica goals, hitting three in a 4-0 home win against Famalicão. It was the first hat-trick of the 25-year-old's career.

Orkun Kökçü got the other, his first goal since 2 October.

Leaders of the Portuguese Liga at Christmas, defeats at Sporting CP on 29 December (0-1) and at home to Braga on 4 January (1-2) meant Benfica dropped down the table.

That was the first time the Lisbon side had lost successive league games since April 2023.

Ángel Di Maria is Benfica's top scorer this season with 13 goals in 27 games, including ten in his last 14.

Benfica won the Portuguese League Cup for the eighth time on 11 January, defeating Sporting 7-6 on penalties after a 1-1 draw; they had beaten Braga 3-0 in the semi-finals three days earlier.

Benfica were 3-1 winners at Farense in the Portuguese Cup last 16 on 14 January and will take on Braga in the quarter-finals.

Di María made his 200th Benfica appearance at Farense but went off with a thigh injury shortly before half-time and missed Friday's win.

Out since 24 August with a dislocated shoulder, striker Tiago Gouveia has now undergone knee surgery and is expected to be sidelined for another eight weeks.

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

In December, Benfica announced Fredrik Aursnes, Tomás Araújo and Alexander Bah had all agreed new contracts until 2029.

Barcelona

Barça made it four La Liga games without a win on Saturday (D2 L2), drawing 1-1 at Getafe despite taking an early lead through Jules Koundé.

Barcelona have scored 89 goals in 30 games this season.

On 15 January Barcelona reached the Copa del Rey quarter-finals with a 5-1 win against Real Betis.

Hansi Flick won his first trophy as Barcelona coach on 12 January after a 5-2 win against Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup final.

Robert Lewandowski's goal was his 26th in all competitions this season, equalling his 2023/24 total.

Raphinha now has 20 goals this season having managed ten in 2023/24. His 11 in La Liga is five more than last season.

Gavi got his first goal since September 2023 in the 2-0 Spanish Super Cup semi-final defeat of Athletic Club on 8 January.

Barça were 4-0 victors at fourth division Barbastro in the Copa del Rey round of 32 on 4 January, Wojciech Szczęsny making his club debut and Ronald Araújo his first appearance since 6 July due to a muscle injury.

Andreas Christensen has not played out since 17 August with an Achilles injury, although he was an unused substitute on Saturday.

On Sunday Barcelona confirmed Dani Olmo had been ruled out of the Benfica game with a calf strain.

Iñigo Martínez picked up a hamstring injury in the Spanish Super Cup final and has not played since.

Goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen tore the patellar tendon in his right knee in a 5-1 win at Villarreal on 22 September.

Marc Bernal is not expected to play this season after suffering a serious knee injury against Rayo Vallecano on 27 August.