Barcelona and SL Benfica will lock horns subsequent week at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys with a spot within the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals on the road.
from the primary leg of the Spherical of 16 conflict regardless of being diminished to 10 males.
With the reverse leg set to kick off in lower than per week, Barcelona may need obtained an extra increase past their one-goal benefit from the primary leg.
Angel Di Maria stays a doubt
Certainly, based on , Benfica veteran winger Angel Di Maria stays a doubt for the second-leg fixture towards Barcelona subsequent Tuesday.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup winner has been out of motion since early February after struggling a muscle damage in his left thigh throughout the Champions League playoff first leg towards AS Monaco.
In consequence, Di Maria missed the first-leg tie towards Barça earlier this week, together with one other key participant in Florentino Luis.
With Benfica going through Nacional de Madeira within the league this weekend, the Portuguese membership’s supervisor, Bruno Lage, confirmed that the previous Argentina worldwide can be unavailable.
“Di Maria isn’t out there, whereas Florentino and Tomas Araujo are nonetheless uncertain,” Lage said.
Constructing on that, the report provides that Di Maria may not be prepared in time for Benfica’s journey to Barcelona on Tuesday, which is able to come as an enormous increase for the Blaugrana given the Argentine’s high quality, regardless of his age.
The 37-year-old has 14 objectives and eight assists from 32 matches in all competitions for the Portuguese giants this season.
