Barcelona FC travel to Lisbon to play their UEFA Champions League group G second match against the two-time European champions SL Benfica on Tuesday night (Wednesday in India). Both the teams are unbeaten in the on-going Champions League and in their respective domestic leagues.
The match between Benfica Vs Barcelona will kick start at 00:15 IST (Wednesday) and will be telecast live on Ten Action.
Team News:
Benfica: The Portuguese club will miss striker Oscar Cardozo in Tuesday night's match against the Spanish giant as he has been ruled out for a muscle injury. Brazilian defender Luisao is also serving a two-month ban for pushing a referee in a friendly match. Manager Jorge Jesus is likely to substitute Oscar with Rodrigo Lima.
Barcelona: Defender Gerard Pique will miss the match due to injury but Tito Vilanova has a good team for Tuesday night's match. Carles Puyol, Andres Iniesta and Adriano have recovered from injuries and are available for selection.
Performance of the Teams:
Benfica is unbeaten in the domestic league and drew with Celtic FC 0 -0 in the opening Champions League match and has one point on the table.
Barcelona is also unbeaten in the La Liga 2012-13 and defeated Spartak Moscow 3 - 2 in the opening Champions League match, ensuring three points on the table.
Match Preview:
Benfica has home ground advantage but Barcelona is no doubt the stronger team. The former has a reason to worry as they have not defeated a Spanish side at home for 30 years. Lionel Messi is expected to score tonight and help his team beat Benfica.
Probable Line-Ups:
SL Benfica: Artur, Pereira, Garay, Jardel, Melgarejo, Salvio, Aimar, Enzo Perez, Gaitan, Rodrigo, Lima
Barcelona: Valdes, Dani Alves, Puyol, Mascherano, Alba, Xavi, Busquets, Iniesta, Cesc, Messi, Villa
