"We believe in our ability to qualify" - Benfica boss Bruno Lage makes claim ahead of UCL clash against Barcelona
Benfica boss Bruno Lage has made an emphatic claim ahead of their Champions League clash against Barcelona. The two sides will face off in Lisbon today (March 4) in the first leg of their Round-of-16 meetings, where the visitors are expected to see off the Portuguese hosts.
The two sides met in the competition very recently, clashing in the group stage on January 21. A hat-trick from Vangelis Pavlidis was not enough to give Benfica the win, as the Blaugrana beat them 5-4, with an injury time goal from Raphinha sealing the win.
The sting of that loss is still fresh, ahead of their knockout tie. When asked about his thoughts on the Spanish giants, Bruno Lage veered the focus to Benfica's intentions, responding (via Barca Universal):
"The question of who is the favorite is not important to us, the important thing is that we believe in our ability to qualify."
He has also been asked if he will follow the same approach that saw Benfica score four goals against Barcelona. Lage answered:
“The approach is similar to that strategy. Tomorrow we will try to apply what we think is the best strategy for the match. We know that we will face a great team with a strong attack.
“But we also look at the positive things we have done against our opponent, the goals we have scored, the chances we have created several times in the opponent’s areas, which did not go far from the goal but hit the goalkeeper.”
Indeed, Barca do have a strong attack, racking up a rather impressive 2.73 goals per game across 26 La Liga games so far this season. In just eight Champions League games, they have scored a stunning 28 goals, with a 5-0 win over Young Boys and a 4-1 win over Bayern Munich helping them along the way.
Former Benfica midfielder believes Portuguese giants will see off Barcelona threat
Former Benfica midfielder Javi Garcia has shared his thoughts on the upcoming game between Benfica and Barcelona. The midfielder expects his former side to come out as winners in the clash, having referred to them as "favorites" in an interview with SPORT. He said (via Barca Universal):
“I see it quite evenly matched… I even see Benfica as favorite. When you see such a favourite opponent. Benfica have a lot of pride and the crowd is really tight.
“What I’m sure of is that they’ll get a very good result at home. I can smell it… Then in the second game in Barcelona, they’ll have a hard time, but they’ll get through the tie."
It will certainly be a task for Benfica to take something from Barca, especially in the second leg at the Lluis Companys. However, Bruno Lage has revealed his team's belief in their abilities, and their fans will look to see this impact the proceedings.