Barcelona vs Benfica Predictions

• Benfica lost 9-2 to Bayern on aggregate across their last two in Europe
• Xavi picked up a debut win over Espanyol at the weekend
• Barca have won their last two in Europe 1-0

Showdown for second

With Bayern Munich already through, this clash is a battle to see who will qualify behind them. Benfica won against Barcelona in Lisbon when these two sides met, but the Portuguese side lost their double-header with Bayern 9-2 on aggregate to drop to third.

Barcelona have a two-point advantage heading into this meeting, but with a visit to Bayern still to come this is a must-win game for Xavi. The new manager made a winning start at the weekend and having him in place of Ronald Koeman could swing it for the hosts.

Xavi’s era begins

Appointing Xavi has eased the tensions at Barcelona after a poor start under Koeman. The Dutch boss was on the receiving end of a 3-0 defeat at Benfica back in September. That result arguably should have cost him his job, especially as Benfica have failed to impress in their other European games (D1 L2).

Xavi looks to have Barca in better shape already. They won 1-0 against local rivals Espanyol at the weekend. In the four games since Koeman was sacked, Barca are unbeaten and they look to be heading in the right direction.

With Benfica being shown up against Bayern, Barca look to be good value for the victory. The Catalans seem to be better organised, claiming back-to-back 1-0 wins in Europe alongside their weekend victory. Back a home win, alongside a repeat of that scoreline.