Benfica face biggest test of the season to date

Benfica travel to Spain to take on Barcelona in Champions League action on Tuesday in what may very well be the deciding game of who gets out of the group stage joining Bayern Munich in the round of 16 as both clubs look to get the better of the other. The two clubs are separated by just two points with Barcelona in front but Benfica go into the Catalonia capital, confident after trashing the Spanish giants in Lisbon 3-0 in their first group game encounter.

Simply said a Barcelona victory eliminates any hope of Benfica moving on from the group stage to the lucrative round of 16, while a draw will require Benfica to win their final game at home against Dynamo Kiev and rely on the help of group leaders Bayern Munich to avoid a loss at the hands of Barcelona on their own home turf. Benfica could make the matter simple by just winning their final two group stage games which will get them into the round of 16 for the first time since the 2016/17 edition.

Benfica will face a Barcelona squad lead by a new man on the sidelines after the dismissal of manager Ronald Koeman, as club legend Xavi has taken over the role, managing in just his first game yesterday. This game may very well come down to tactics over skill as can the wily veteran Jorge Jesus get the better of the young road runner Xavi in a game that means a huge deal to both clubs and fan bases.