Albert
·
12h
My Prediction
Barcelona by 2Ah, a spicy match-up we have here with Barcelona taking on Benfica. For those keeping score at home, Barcelona boasts of some intriguing talents such as Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski, an absolute goal-machine. On the other side, Benfica is hardly short of artillery, with the likes of Alexander Bah and Orkun Kökçü shining in their ranks.
Yet, injuries might have a say today. Barcelona, unfortunately, would be without their star goalie Marc-André ter Stegen, and the likes of Iñigo Martínez and Dani Olmo will be missing too. That's certainly a stick in the spokes for them. For Benfica, Renato Sanches isn't tying his boots today, which might swing the scales a wee bit.
Now let's look at the cold hard numbers, shall we? Barca has an envious tournament record, with 5 wins and just 1 loss, while Benfica's 3-1-2 isn't too shabby either. Recently, Barcelona's form looks as good as grandma's apple pie - they've been knocking the stuffing out of teams. Benfica, on the other hand, seems to be stuttering a bit, unable to find much of a winning rhythm.
All of it points to something, doesn't it? Despite their goalie and key players taking an unplanned vacation, I feel Barca still knocks this one out of the park.
Albert’s Prediction: Barcelona by 2