European encounters against Benfica
As regular participants in the Champions League, Barça and Benfica have already faced each other on several occasions. The blaugranes have mostly ended up with a positive result, but the Lisbon side have also come out on top. When looking back at past encounters between the sides, a classic match comes to mind, no less than the European Cup final in the 1960/61 season, when Benfica downed Barça 3-2 to be crowned European champions.
A game to forget for the blaugranes in which they went ahead first, but in the blink of an eye Benfica scored two goals in a minute to go in 2-1 up at the break. The Lisbon side were superior in the second half and ran out 3-2 winners, with those quick-fire goals in the first half proving vital for Benfica's victory.
The road to Wembley
Another very important game between Barça and Benfica came in the 1991/92 season when the blaugranes won their first European Cup. The sides faced each other in the final group stage game when top spot in each group meant a place in the final. The game was played at the Spotify Camp Nou, where Barça won 2-1 to book a place at Wembley and the rest is history.
Recent encounters
The teams have met several times this century. Blaugrana fans will remember 2006 fondly as it culminated with the second Champions League win. The sides met in the quarterfinals that season, with Barça going through 2-0 on aggregate after winning the return leg at the Spotify Camp Nou by that scoreline.
More recently came the group stage match in the 2011/12 season when Barça won 0-2 at the Estádio da Luz, before earning a 0-0 draw at the Spotify Camp Nou.
Now into the last five years, the Catalans and the Lisbon side have met a couple more times. They faced each other twice in the group stage in 2021, with Benfica beating Barça 3-0 in Lisbon and the game at the Spotify Camp Nou ending in a 0-0 draw. This meant the blaugranes ended up in third place in the table, dropping into the final phase of the Europa League.
A comeback for the ages
Only a month ago, the most recent clash between Barça and Benfica was a frenetic affair. It was the penultimate round of the league matches with a view to qualifying for the next round. However, the match won't go down in history because of what the result meant as such, rather because of how it transpired. Barça ending up winning 4-5 at the Estádio da Luz, a very oddball result for a football match indeed.
It wasn't just the scoreline that stood out, though, it was the way Flick's side managed to come back. Barça were losing 3-1 after a poor first half, and the second half still saw them losing 4-2 after 70 minutes, but all was not lost, as they rolled up their sleeves to achieve what seemed an impossible victory, with a 4-5 comeback win.
Both sides have tasted success in past matches. Let's see what happens in the upcoming last 16 matches.