Three crucial talking points as Barcelona face Benfica in UCL | OneFootball

FC Barcelona are set to take on Benfica in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 second leg as they look to overcome the Portuguese side to book a place in the quarterfinals of the competition.

The Catalan club come into the game with a 1-0 lead following a hard-fought display at Estadio da Luz just a week ago, where Barcelona had to contend with a red card for nearly two-thirds of the game and still managed to secure a win.

Pau Cubarsi’s ill-fated decision to attempt a last-ditch challenge and get sent off would see him miss the return leg for Barcelona, but thankfully, Hansi Flick has the services of Ronald Araujo to call upon.

With all this in mind, we at Barca News Network bring three talking points for Barcelona ahead of their knockout clash against Benfica in the Champions League Round of 16 second leg.

1. Extraordinary circumstances

With Barcelona’s game against Osasuna last weekend being postponed in the 11th hour, the entire team got some much deserved rest, although it came about in extremely unfortunate circumstances.

The sudden demise of club Doctor Carles Minarro would have surely affected the players, especially with it emerging that many players shared a very good relationship with the medical professional.

Post his demise, condolences were outpouring for him from all directions and it is one of those moments that has generated extreme sadness at Barcelona amid a very happy campaign. However, as they say, football has to go on.

The Catalan club find themselves playing in an extremely important game just days after, and they will have to turn up and play at their very best. Let’s wait and see how it plays out on the night at Montjuic.

2. Big game for Ronald Araujo

Pau Cubarsi will not be available for selection for this game, which in all likelihood means that Hansi Flick will start Ronald Araujo alongside Inigo Martinez as the central defensive partnership on the night.

The Uruguayan came on against Benfica at Estadio da Luz following the Spaniard’s sending off and had an incredible game doing what he does best. The Uruguayan was very comfortable playing deep and clearing anything that came his way.

However, at the Montjuic, when Barcelona start with 11 against Benfica again, Hansi Flick will want his team to hold the extremely high line that they have done so successfully so far this season.

Araujo has not yet shown the tactical understanding or discipline to play this highline and tomorrow’s game against Benfica provides him with an opportunity to right those wrongs. Let’s wait and see how he performs.

3. No silly mistakes

Although he has been almost flawless since stepping into the first-team as a 16-year-old, Pau Cubarsi made a mistake that he should have avoided against Benfica at Estadio da Luz last week.

This was the second knockout game in a row in the Champions League that Barcelona have been involved in where they have made a rash decision to have a player sent-off, incidentally both times being a central defender.

If you factor in the Spanish Super Cup final against Real Madrid as well, that was another game where Szczesny made a silly mistake to get sent off and Barcelona were thankful for the fact that they had a substantial lead even before the red card happened.

Thus, one thing Barcelona need to ensure tomorrow is to not commit a silly mistake that would put the entire team in jeopardy for the rest of the game. It is better to concede a goal rather than being a man down for such an important game, and let’s hope some sense prevails tomorrow.