Benficavs.Barcelona

The Catalan giants are currently second in the Champions League table, picking up 15 points from their opening six matches, while Benfica sit down in 15th, three points behind eighth-placed Lille.

Barcelona are in a very strong spot when it comes to reaching the knockout round of the competition, while Benfica are currently in a playoff spot, and it is set to be a fascinating battle between the two sides on Tuesday.

Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at the head-to-head record and previous meetings between the two sides ahead of their showdown in Lisbon at Estadio da Luz.

Head-to-head record

Previous meetings: 9

Benfica wins: 2

Draws: 4

Barcelona wins: 3

Barcelona have tackled Benfica on nine occasions throughout history, with the Catalan outfit leading the overall head-to-head record three wins to two, while there have also been four draws.

Their first-ever meeting remains their most famous, with the pair locking horns in the final of the 1961 European Cup, and Benfica lifted the trophy for the first time courtesy of a 3-2 success over Barcelona.

Six of their next seven meetings took place in the group stage of either the European Cup or Champions League, while they also locked horns in the quarter-finals of the 2005-06 tournament.

The first leg of their last-eight meeting finished 0-0 in Portugal, before Barcelona secured their spot in the semi-finals of the tournament courtesy of a 2-0 success on home soil.

The last meeting between the two sides took place in November 2021, with the two teams drawing 0-0 in the group stage, but Benfica were 3-0 winners over Barcelona in Portugal in the reverse match.

There have only actually been 15 goals across their nine previous matches, with Barcelona netting eight times to Benfica's seven, and now Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez is the all-time leading goalscorer in this fixture with two, having struck twice against the Catalan team during his time with the Portuguese club.

Previous meetings

Nov 23, 2021: Barcelona 0-0 Benfica (Champions League Group Stage)

Sep 29, 2021: Benfica 3-0 Barcelona (Champions League Group Stage)

Dec 05, 2012: Barcelona 0-0 Benfica (Champions League Group Stage)

Oct 02, 2012: Benfica 0-2 Barcelona (Champions League Group Stage)

Apr 05, 2006: Barcelona 2-0 Benfica (Champions League Quarter-Final Second Leg)

Mar 28, 2006: Benfica 0-0 Barcelona (Champions League Quarter-Final First Leg)

Apr 15, 1992: Barcelona 2-1 Benfica (European Cup Group Stage)

Dec 11, 1991: Benfica 0-0 Barcelona (European Cup Group Stage)

May 30, 1961: Benfica 3-2 Barcelona (European Cup Final)

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Written by

Matt Law