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Barcelona will take on Benfica in the penultimate UEFA Champions League group stage match at the Camp Nou. This will be Xavi’s second game in charge of Barcelona and they will be keen to avenge their 0-3 loss to Benfica away from home earlier in the Champions League.
Barcelona had a successful start to their new era under Xavi as head coach. The Catalan giants beat their neighbours and arch-rivals Espanyol 1-0 in the derby and will look to continue with the same momentum in the Champions League as well.
Winning against Benfica will send Barcelona through to the next round of the Champions League
Barcelona have had a pretty underwhelming campaign in the UEFA Champions League this season. They began Europe's premier international competition with successive losses by a three-goal margin against Bayern Munich and Benfica. The defeat to Benfica away at the Estadio da Luz was especially damning.
However, the Catalan giants have since recovered their footing in the group. Two narrow wins over Dynamo Kyiv and Benfica’s losses to Bayern Munich and their draw against Kyiv mean that Barcelona are in second position in Group E with six points.
If they win against Benfica at Camp Nou, their Champions League knockout round qualification will be sealed before they visit the Allianz Arena to take on Bayern Munich. Barcelona are suffering from an injury crisis at the moment with several key players including the likes of Ansu Fati, Pedri and Ousmane Dembele out injured.
Xavi’s team will also be without pure natural wingers as both Ilias Akhomach and EZ Abde, who played on the flanks against Espanyol, cannot appear in this Champions League match. In light of such a shortage, Barcelona may have to utilize Gavi, Yusuf Demir and Philippe Coutinho on the wings.
Here’s how Barcelona could line-up against Benfica in the Champions League:
GK: Marc-Andre ter Stegen
While Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s performances in recent seasons have left a lot to desire, there’s no doubt that Xavi will continue to bet on him. During the pre-match press conference, Xavi stated:
"Ter Stegen is fundamental for us. He is among the three best goalkeepers in the world. He has personality, character, great footwork and insurance. For me he is a guarantee."
Although he didn’t have much to do, Ter Stegen had a positive performance against Espanyol. His build-up from the back was crucial as usual and the German goalkeeper also made a few stops when he was called into action. Ter Stegen finished the game with three saves, a clean sheet and 100 per cent passing accuracy. He will look to do the same against Benfica.
RB: Oscar Mingueza
According to the latest reports, Sergino Dest has returned to training with the group following his absence due to injury. However, there is considerable doubt regarding his and Sergi Roberto’s availability against Benfica.
Oscar Mingueza started on the right flank in the Barcelona derby against Espanyol. However, his performance was topsy-turvy on the night and he was one of the worst players for Barcelona on the night. Xavi will surely demand more defensive solidity from Mingueza in this game.
CB: Gerard Pique
Ronald Araujo might compete for the spot but Pique did fairly well against Espanyol and his former team-mate Xavi might choose to stick with him in this game. Gerard Pique is the most experienced defender in the Barcelona backline and has won three Champions League titles.
In the previous match, he was the player who was the furthest behind. This allowed Eric Garcia to progress ahead with the ball with the knowledge that an attacker wouldn’t be through on goal in case he lost the ball.
CB: Eric Garcia
Eric Garcia had an outstanding match against Espanyol and had a clear role in Xavi’s system. Despite a shaky start to his return to Barcelona which included being sent off in the previous Champions League match against Benfica, Garcia is slowly starting to discover his form.
Against Espanyol, he carried the ball well and made excellent line-breaking passes. The Spaniard even found players as advanced as Gavi and Memphis Depay on the wing. Garcia will be determined to remain compact at the back and help Barcelona progress to the knockout rounds of the Champions League.
LB: Jordi Alba
Jordi Alba also had a new role to play in his first game with Xavi as head coach of Barcelona. The Catalan full-back had to stay wide to stretch the field and this left him with very little space to work with. Despite that, Alba had a strong showing against Espanyol and got into the final third several times making crosses that resulted in half chances.
Alba’s combinations with Gavi were one of the key points in the Barcelona derby. Not only did they exchange passes and read each other well, Alba also drifted wide every time Gavi tried to shift centrally to create with the ball at his feet. The veteran's experience could be of good use against Benfica in the Champions League.
CDM: Sergio Busquets
Against Espanyol, Sergio Busquets showed exactly why he’s so important to this Barcelona team despite his age and it won't be any different in the Champions League. Busquets was at the core of everything Barcelona did and his line-breaking passes proved to be too difficult for the opposition team to handle. He even set the wingers through on goal with a lobbed ball and controlled the tempo of the game well.
Barcelona lost control of the match once Busquets was subbed off. This allowed Espanyol to get close to scoring and they ended up creating several chances as well. It goes without saying that Xavi will be counting on him in the Champions League.
Busquets has won three Champions League titles playing alongside Xavi at Barcelona and will know what his manager expects from him on the big stage.
CM: Nico Gonzalez
New Golden Boy award winner Pedri was expected to return for the game against Benfica but he ended up suffering an untimely relapse. In his absence, Nico Gonzalez is set to continue in midfield for Barcelona in the Champions League as well.
Hailing from Barcelona’s famed youth academy La Masia, Gonzalez is technically proficient. As a result, he’s quite comfortable receiving passes and holding on to possession between the lines.
Against Espanyol, Gonzalez was also important in connecting the left flank with the right flank. He would often drift towards the spaces on the left, receive the ball, then send one down quickly to Ilias or Abde on the right wing.
Gonzalez's combinations and layoffs with Ilias Akhomach on the edge of the box were also noticeable. Regardless of who starts on the right wing in the Champions League game against Benfica, he must look to do the same.
CM: Frenkie de Jong
Frenkie de Jong hasn’t had a big influence on the Barcelona team this season but his performance against Espanyol attracted a lot of praise. Xavi deployed De Jong as a box-to-box midfielder and we saw him in a hyper-active role.
In the Barcelona derby, the Dutchman constantly made his way into the final third and even made dummy runs into the box. Eric Garcia found him with threaded passes on multiple occasions and Busquets nearly exploited his runs with the help of lobbed balls.
De Jong’s decoy runs and positioning confused the opposition defenders and allowed him space to create chances in the box. He will look to do the same in the Champions League as well. Even without the ball, the Dutch midfielder often led the counter-press for Barcelona - against Espanyol, he made nine recoveries.
It goes without saying that De Jong has enough Champions League pedigree. He will be hoping to emulate his form from the thrilling campaign with Ajax in 2018-19 when made it to the semis of the Champions League.
LW: Gavi
Gavi’s spectacular rise with Barcelona continues and he could weave his charm in the Champions League next. After showing his promise with the Spanish national team and in La Liga, Gavi will look to emulate the heroics on club football's biggest stage.
Ansu Fati’s absence and the lack of a pure winger meant that Gavi had to start out of position, on the left wing, for Barcelona. But he managed to impress heavily under new manager Xavi’s instructions.
Gavi performed dual roles against Espanyol: he stayed wide to stretch the play and also came inside to overload half-spaces and create chances for his team-mates.
Barcelona used Gavi as a strong 1v1 proponent and he often got behind his marker with quick touches and sharp exchanges. This is something he might also have to do when the Catalan giants face Benfica in the Champions League.
The La Masia graduate’s intensity and pressing were also efficient. Gavi forced the opposition players into making several errors and recovered the ball eight times. He also won 10 duels on the ground – the most for a player on the night.
Gavi’s intensity will be key, especially in the Champions League, where Barcelona have been put under pressure quite often in recent years.
ST: Memphis Depay
Memphis Depay became the first goal-scorer in the Xavi Hernandez era at Barcelona. Although the decision looked to be shoddy, Depay won and converted the penalty against Espanyol.
Depay started the game centrally but made consistent movement towards both the left and right half-spaces. He either created an overload and combined with the players or made the run for the likes of Busquets, Gavi and Nico Gonzalez to spot.
Depay also dropped deep as a false nine in the Barcelona derby which allowed De Jong, Ilias and Abde to make runs into space. There are still issues to Depay’s game that Xavi will have to solve with the most important being the way he loses the ball because of a silly touch.
Against Benfica, Depay will likely be up against the duo of Jan Vertonghen and Nicolas Otamendi, who had caused several problems for the Barcelona frontline earlier in the Champions League. The Dutch forward will need support from his wingers and midfielders to overcome the attention of the opposition defenders.
RW: Yusuf Demir
Yusuf Demir could prove to be the final piece of the puzzle for Barcelona’s Champions League line-up against Benfica. Ilias Akhomach, who started against Espanyol, is carrying a suspension from the UEFA Youth League, while EZ Abde hasn’t been registered for the Champions League.
This could result in Xavi turning to the only left-footed winger available to him at Barcelona. Demir’s Barcelona career began brightly with an impressive pre-season but has fizzled out too quickly.
The Austrian youngster has played only 192 minutes across all competitions for Barcelona despite injuries to the regulars. However, his natural left-footedness and ability to take on defenders might result in him starting the Champions League game.
