Good times have come back for the Catalan club. FC Barcelona are back on top of table in La Liga, and set to resume their UEFA Champions League campaign on Tuesday night with a trip to Benfica. The Blaugranes looked about as good as any of the 36 teams that competed in the first portion of competition, finishing only two points behind Liverpool for first place in the overall standings.
There are many reasons for the recent uptick in form, with the fact that they’re getting healthier, overall as a squad, near the top of the list.
FC Barcelona at Benfica FYIs
Competition: UEFA Champions League round of 16, Leg 1/2
Kickoff: Wed. March 5, 8pm, Estadio du Sports Lisboa e Benfica, Portugal
Google Result Probability: FC Barcelona 53% Draw 23% Benfica 25%
FC Barcelona Team News at Benfica
There is only one major change in the fitness situation, as Andreas Christensen (soleus muscle) has finally been medically cleared to play. He could feature, in at least come capacity, here. Of course, Marc-Andre ter Stegen (patellar rupture) and Marc Bernal (cruciate ligament) remain out as long-term injury absentees. So with few injury concerns, it means that manager Hansi Flick has a lot of options to choose from. And with those options available, it’s time to keep those legs fresh and do some squad rotation here.
We looked at the first team side that whooped Real Sociedad 4-0 yesterday, and then made a few changes.
FC Barcelona Starting XI Prediction at Benfica
Wojciech Szczesny; Jules Kounde, Hector Fort, Eric Garcia, Alejandro Balde; Gavi; Ferran Torres, Frenkie de Jong, Fermin Lopez, Lamine Yamal; Robert Lewandowski
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.