Benfica eliminates Monaco and is now a rival to Barça or Liverpool in the Champions League

The first of the Champions League round of 32 series concerning FC Barcelona has been resolved. Benfica drew 3-3 with Monaco in a frenetic match at the Estádio da Luz. The Portuguese team is the chosen one to go through to the next round, having beaten the rouge et blanc team at their stadium in the first leg (0-1). The four remaining matches of the play-off will be played on Wednesday and on Friday, February 21, the opponents for the round of 16 will be drawn. The team managed by Hansi Flick and Liverpool will face Benfica or the winner of this Wednesday's Brest-PSG.

Bruno Lage's pupils, among whom Di María was not due to injury, faced the end of the tie with the support of their fans and a favourable result. Despite the conditions that affected them in a positive way, they did not go out to speculate. Aktürkoglu opened the scoring and doubled the lead in the 22nd minute. However, the joy was short-lived as Minamino equalised just after the half-hour mark. Shortly after the start of the second half, the Monegasque side took the lead with a goal from Ben Seghir. Not content with taking the lead, the visitors pushed hard in search of a comeback.

The last fifteen minutes were frenetic. 'As Águias' could not afford to be eliminated on their own turf and Pavlidis (76') from the penalty spot fanned the flames for the home side. On the other hand, far from giving up, the visitors took the lead again with a counterattack goal from Ilenikhena, helped by Trubin, the home goalkeeper (81'). Just three minutes later, Kökçü slipped between the two Monaco centre-backs to connect with a soft shot with the instep of his left boot past Álvaro Carreras' cross. The match was thus brought to a close and Benfica secured their place in the round of 16.

Benfica vs Barça or Liverpool

Despite the great effort made in the round of 32, the Portuguese side will face a very tough opponent in the next round. They will face Liverpool or FC Barcelona, ​​the first and second-placed teams in the league phase. However, neither of the two possible opponents are new:

History against Liverpool

• Number of clashes between Benfica and Liverpool in the Champions League: 10
• Historical distribution of results: 3 victories for Benfica, 1 draw and 6 victories for Liverpool
• Goals scored by each team: 12 for Benfica, 20 for Liverpool
• Play-offs in which they have met (5): Second round, round of 16 and quarter-finals (3). Benfica have only made it past the next round once, compared to Liverpool's 4.
• Most recent record: Quarter-finals of the 2021/2022 season, 6-4 on aggregate in favour of Liverpool

History against FC Barcelona

• Number of meetings between Benfica and FC Barcelona in the Champions League: 10
• Historical distribution of results: 2 wins for Benfica, 4 draws and 4 wins for FC Barcelona
• Goals scored by each team: 11 for Benfica, 13 for FC Barcelona
• Play-offs in which they have met (3): Third round, quarter-finals and final. Benfica have only made it past the next round once, compared to FC Barcelona's 2. They have also faced each other twice in the group stage and once in the league (this season)
• Most recent precedent: Matchday 7 of the league phase of the 2024/2025 season, 4-5 in favour of FC Barcelona

The return leg between PSG and Brest at the Parc des Princes remains to be decided, although the tie is well on track for the Parisian side, after the 0-3 in the first leg. The last 4 games of the round of 32 will be played on Wednesday and the draw will be held on Friday. The top eight in the league phase are about to enter the knockout rounds.