On Tuesday, Barcelona will attempt to secure their place in the Champions League quarter-finals when they play host to Benfica in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.
The Blaugrana will carry a narrow lead into the first leg after they dug deep to clinch a 1-0 victory in last week’s meeting in Lisbon despite playing the majority of the contest with 10 men following Pau Cubarsi‘s 22nd-minute red card.
Hansi Flick‘s side were due to return to league action against Osasuna on Saturday, but the match was postponed following the tragic passing of first-team doctor Carles Minarro Garcia.
Amid a period of mourning, Barcelona will prepare for Tuesday’s return leg against Benfica, with the hosts looking to reach the last eight of the Champions League for the second season in a row.
Here, Sports Mole rounds up Barcelona’s injury and suspension news ahead of the second leg against Benfica, who cruised to a 3-0 win in Saturday’s Primeira Liga clash against Nacional.
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Status: Out
Type of injury: Discomfort
Possible return date: March 11 (vs. Benfica)
Lewandowski was left out of the squad for Saturday’s fixture before it was postponed shortly before kick-off. Barcelona were not willing to risk the veteran striker after he complained of some physical discomfort. However, there is an expectation that he will be available to lead the line against Benfica on Tuesday.
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Status: Out
Type of injury: Calf
Possible return date: Unknown
Christensen was recently passed fit after missing the majority of the campaign with Achilles and calf problems. Unfortunately for the Dane, he has since suffered a reoccurrence of the calf injury and is now likely to be out of action until April.
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Status: Out
Type of injury: Knee
Possible return date: Unknown
Ter Stegen has been out of action since September after suffering a serious knee injury against Villarreal, leading to the decision to sign Wojciech Szczesny on a free transfer. The German goalkeeper was expected to miss the rest of the season, but there is a possibility that he could return before the end of the campaign.
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Status: Out
Type of injury: Knee
Possible return date: Unknown
Bernal is continuing to work on his lengthy rehabilitation from a suffered an ACL injury he suffered in an away game against Rayo Vallecano in August. The midfielder will not play again this season and is focusing on returning to full fitness ahead of the 2025-26 campaign.
BARCELONA’S SUSPENSION LIST
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Cubarsi will serve a one-match suspension after being shown a straight red card for fouling Vangelis Pavlidis as the last man in the first leg in Lisbon.
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