Nuno Gomes believes Benfica still has a chance against Barcelona | OneFootball

Following the postponement of their La Liga game against Osasuna due to the death of the first team doctor, Dr. Carles Minarro, FC Barcelona will now return to action in the UEFA Champions League with a crucial match against Benfica in the second leg of the Round of 16 tie.

The Blaugranes will go into this game with a 1-0 advantage, but keeping in view the two games that these two sides have already played against one another this season, this tie is far from over.

Former Benfica forward Nuno Gomes, who holds the record for the second-highest number of appearances for the Portuguese club, shared this opinion as well. Now working as a commentator, he spoke in an interview with Mundo Deportivo to analyze the upcoming game on Tuesday.

Gomes was clear that it would be difficult for Benfica, but still believed that they could get the job done with a perfect game:

“Benfica faces a tough match, but they have already shown this year that they can score against Barcelona. They will need to play a near-perfect game because they must score goals to have a chance of advancing, but they also know they cannot expose themselves too much, as Barcelona has very strong attacking players who can cause damage.”

Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images

The former Portuguese international also highlighted some players that he likes from this Barcelona team:

“I really like Pedri and Dani Olmo. They are players I admire because of how effortlessly they execute what is often the most difficult thing—playing simply. They are very intelligent in the way they understand the game. Of course, Yamal is a star, and I love watching him as well.”

Gomes also spoke highly of Robert Lewandowski:

“In recent years, very few have scored as much as he has. He is a great goal scorer, and almost everything he does, he does well. An example of professionalism for the younger players and one of the greatest goal scorers in world football.”

There is no doubt that with players like Pedri, Olmo, Yamal, and Lewandowski, and their 1-0 advantage from the first leg, FC Barcelona are the favorites to go through this tie. But Benfica also have the ability to spring a surprise, which makes this upcoming tie all the more exciting for fans of both these sides.