FC Barcelona vs Benfica: Everything You Need to Know About the Champions Round of 16

This Friday, the knockout stage matchups of the UEFA Champions League were drawn, with several surprises in the final bracket. FC Barcelona's opponent will be Benfica, a team that Hansi Flick's side already faced in the league phase, with the historic comeback by the Catalans in Lisbon (4-5) despite being down 4-2 with 13 minutes left. Now, a two-legged tie will be played, which will be decided in Montjuïc in the second week of March.

This will be the 11th time that the Catalans and the Portuguese meet in the Champions League. So far, the history favors the Catalans with 4 victories and 4 draws, against 2 losses for the 'Eagles'. Barcelona has scored 13 goals and conceded 13, while in knockout rounds, the only previous encounter is also favorable to the Catalans, with an aggregate score of 2-0 in the quarter-finals of 2005/06. 

When and where will the Barça-Benfica match of the Champions Round of 16 be played

For now, UEFA has not defined whether the first leg will be played on Wednesday, March 5, at the Estadio Da Luz in the Portuguese capital. What is certain is that the tie will be played in consecutive weeks, with the return leg scheduled for Tuesday, March 11, at the Lluís Companys Stadium in Montjuïc. Barça has the home advantage for finishing second in the overall table of the league phase, while Benfica finished sixteenth. This factor, inexplicably, will not apply for the quarter-finals or 'semis'.

The Portuguese, in fact, had to play the 'play-off' against Monaco (17th), a tie in which Bruno Lage's side struggled more than necessary to qualify. Benfica took the lead in the Principality thanks to a goal from Vangelis Pavlidis (0-1), but barely salvaged a draw at home (3-3) in a dramatic match. Orkun Kökçü's goal in the 84th minute sealed the qualification for the 'Eagles'.

In the middle of the Round of 16 tie, Barça will have two potentially dangerous league matches. Before the first leg, Hansi Flick's side will host Real Sociedad, while the following match will be against Osasuna, also in Montjuïc. Both teams defeated the Catalans in the first half of the season. And after the return match against Benfica, they will visit Atlético de Madrid at the Metropolitano. Undoubtedly, it will be two very intense weeks for the Catalans.

• First leg: Wednesday, March 5, 2025, at the Estadio da Luz (Lisbon).
• Return leg: Tuesday, March 11, 2025, at the Lluís Companys Stadium (Barcelona).

Recent Barça-Benfica matches in the Champions League

Besides the historic 4-5 in the league phase, where the goals for Barça were scored by Robert Lewandowski (penalty double), Eric García, and Raphinha (who also scored two, including the winning goal in the 90+6'), the blue and claret team and Benfica have faced each other in five other seasons. The first precedent dates back to 1960/61, where the Catalans lost in the final to the Portuguese in Bern (3-2).

Barcelona avenged the painful defeat of 1960 by eliminating the Portuguese in the final group stage of 1991/92. Barça advanced to the final at Wembley against Sampdoria (1-0) as the leader of Group B after overcoming Sparta Prague, Dynamo Kyiv, and Benfica. Against the 'Eagles', the decisive victory for the Catalans was 2-1 in the sixth and final matchday, after the 0-0 in the previous match in Lisbon that sealed the elimination of the Portuguese.

Both clubs met again in 2005/06, this time in the quarter-finals. Barça again salvaged a draw in the first leg in Lisbon (0-0) to then win at Camp Nou (2-0) thanks to goals from Ronaldinho and Eto'o. Just like in 1992, Barcelona ended up lifting the 'orejona' in Paris against Arsenal (2-1). The other two precedents date back to the 2012/13 and 2021/22 seasons.

In 2012, Barça and Benfica shared Group G, with the Catalans advancing to the Round of 16 as leaders and the 'Eagles' finishing third, dropping to the Europa League. In Portugal, Alexis Sánchez and Cesc Fàbregas sealed the victory for Tito Vilanova's side (0-2). The rematch at Camp Nou ended without goals (0-0), the same result that the Catalans would achieve in 2021, now with Xavi Hernández on the bench. That season (2021/22), Benfica took revenge with a hard 3-0 in Lisbon that led to the elimination of the Catalans in a Group E led by Bayern Munich where the Portuguese finished second and the Catalans third.

🏆Champions Final 1960/61

⚽May 31, 1960, in Bern (Switzerland). Benfica 3-2 FC Barcelona. Goals: 0-1, Kocsis (min. 21); 1-1, Águas (min. 31); 2-1, Ramallets (min. 32, own goal); 3-1, Coluna (min. 55); 3-2, Czibor (min. 75).

🏆Final group stage of the Champions 1991/92

⚽Matchday 5: Benfica 0-0 FC Barcelona (April 1, 1992, in Lisbon).

⚽Matchday 6: FC Barcelona 2-1 Benfica (April 15, 1992, at Camp Nou). Goals: 1-0, Stoichkov (min. 12); 2-0, Bakero (min. 23); 2-1, Brito (min. 27).

🏆Quarter-finals of the Champions 2005/06

⚽First leg: Benfica 0-0 FC Barcelona (March 28, 2006, in Lisbon).

⚽Return leg: FC Barcelona 2-0 Benfica (April 5, 2006, at Camp Nou). Goals: 1-0, Ronaldinho (min. 19); 2-0, Eto'o (min. 89).

🏆Group stage of the Champions 2012/13

⚽Matchday 2: Benfica 0-2 FC Barcelona (October 2, 2012, in Lisbon). Goals:0-1, Alexis (min. 6); 0-2, Fàbregas (min. 55).

⚽Matchday 6: FC Barcelona 0-0 Benfica (December 5 2012, at Camp Nou).

🏆Group stage of the Champions 2021/22

⚽Matchday 2: Benfica 3-0 FC Barcelona (September 29, 2021, in Lisbon). Goals:1-0, Núñez (min. 7); 2-0, Rafa Silva (min. 69); 3-0, Núñez (min. 79, penalty).

⚽Matchday 5: FC Barcelona 0-0 Benfica (November 23, 2021, at Camp Nou).

🏆League phase of the Champions 2024/25

⚽Matchday 7: Benfica 4-5 FC Barcelona (January 21, 2025, in Lisbon). Goals: 1-0 Pavlidis (min. 2); 1-1 Lewandowski (min. 13, penalty); 2-1 Pavlidis (min. 22); 3-1 Pavlidis (min. 30, penalty); 3-2 Raphinha (min. 64); 4-2 Araujo (min. 68, own goal); 4-3 Lewandowski (min. 78, penalty); 4-4 Eric García (min. 86); 4-5 Raphinha (min. 90+6).

How Barcelona and Benfica reached the Champions Round of 16

🏆FC Barcelona matches in the UEFA Champions 24-25:

⚽ AS Monaco 2-1 FC Barcelona (matchday 1 of the league phase, in Monaco).

⚽ FC Barcelona 5-0 Young Boys (matchday 2 of the league phase, in Montjuïc).

⚽ FC Barcelona 4-1 Bayern Munich (matchday 3 of the league phase, in Montjuïc).

⚽ Red Star 2-5 FC Barcelona (matchday 4 of the league phase, in Belgrade).

⚽FC Barcelona 3-0 Stade Brest (matchday 5 of the league phase, in Montjuïc).

⚽ Borussia Dortmund 2-3 FC Barcelona (matchday 6 of the league phase, in Dortmund).

⚽ Benfica 4-5 FC Barcelona (matchday 7 of the league phase, in Lisbon).

⚽FC Barcelona 2-2 Atalanta (matchday 8 of the league phase, in Montjuïc).

🏆Benfica matches in the UEFA Champions 24-25:

⚽ Red Star 1-2 Benfica (matchday 1 of the league phase, in Belgrade).

⚽ Benfica 4-0 Atlético de Madrid (matchday 2 of the league phase, in Lisbon).

⚽ Benfica 1-3 Feyenoord (matchday 3 of the league phase, in Lisbon).

⚽ Bayern Munich 1-0 Benfica (matchday 4 of the league phase, in Munich).

⚽ AS Monaco 1-2 Benfica (matchday 5 of the league phase, in Monaco).

⚽ Benfica 0-0 Bologna (matchday 6 of the league phase, in Lisbon).

⚽ Benfica 4-5 FC Barcelona (matchday 7 of the league phase, in Lisbon).

⚽ Juventus 0-2 Benfica (matchday 8 of the league phase, in Turin).

⚽ AS Monaco 0-1 Benfica (first leg of the 'play-off', in Monaco).

⚽ Benfica 3-3 AS Monaco (return leg of the 'play-off', in Lisbon).