Barcelona have been flying in the UEFA Champions League this season and another victory in Lisbon against Benfica should be enough to book their place in the last 16.
Only Liverpool have a better record in the tournament, with Hansi Flick's side sitting second in the table after winning five and losing one of their six games.
I had a punt on Barca to go all the way at 9/1 after watching them destroy European champions Real Madrid at the Bernabeu in El Clasico back in October.
Their form has been patchy since then, with just seven wins in 14 games, but in recent outings they've been hitting their stride again and that 9/1 price has dropped in the outright market.
Barcelona will certainly need to be at their best to defeat Benfica in Lisbon, with the Portuguese giants sitting 15th in the Champions League table after winning three of their six games.
The 10 points Rogers Schmidt's men have banked already should be enough for a place in the knockout stages but if they win their final two matches it might be enough to fire them into the top eight for a slot in the last 16.
How the bookies view it: Eagles' wings are clipped
Benfica have only lost twice at home all season but BoyleSports still make the Eagles 12/5 outsiders for this one. Barcelona are 20/23 favourites and the draw pays 3/1.
Head to head: Barca by a nose
Despite being regulars at Europe's top table, these giants of the game have only faced off nine times before. Barcelona are edging the head-to-head, with three wins to Benfica's two, but the Portuguese side romped to a 3-0 triumph when the Catalans last came calling in 2021.
Players to watch: Top gun back for more
Barcelona boast the top two scorers in this season's Champions League, with Robert Lewandowski netting seven times and Raphinha chipping in with six. The Polish poacher looks more likely to score here and he's a decent 11/10 with Bet365 to add to his tally.
Kerem Akturkoglu has been Benfica's main man in Europe this season and the Turk has netted three times. He's on 11 for the season in all competitions and is 12/5 for anytime scorer.
Probable line-ups
Winger Tiago Gouveia remains out for Benfica while Renato Sanches is set to be sidelined for another couple of months.
Barcelona have suffered a blow with midfielder Dani Olmo ruled out with a muscle injury. He joins Inigo Martinez on the sidelines while Marc-Andre Ter Stegen and Marc Bernal are set to miss the rest of the season.
Benfica: Trubin, Carreras, Bah, Otamendi, Araujo, Aursnes, Kokcu, Barreiro, Di Maria, Pavlidis, Akturkoglu.
Barcelona: Inaki Pena, Cubarsi, Balde, Araujo, Kounde, Gavi, Pedri, Raphinha, De Jong, Yamal, Lewandowski.
Anything else catch the eye?
The high defensive line Barcelona adopt under Flick usually leads to plenty of goals at both ends, with BTTS and over 2.5 strikes landing in 17 of their games this season. That bet pays just 4/6 for this game but combining BTTS with no draw is a little better at evens with BoyleSports.
Barca have won 18 corners across their last two games so that's another market worth looking at. Over 10 match corners pays a decent 11/8 at Bet365, who also price the La Liga giants at 10/11 to win most flag kicks.
Benfica's Leandro Barreiro has been having issues with discipline of late, picking up yellow cards in three of his last five outings. He looks worth backing for a card at 13/5 with Bet365.
This UEFA Champions League match between Benfica and Barcelona will be played on Jan 21, 2025 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Benfica vs Barcelona prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
