FC Barcelona will take on Benfica in the Champions League last 16 on Tuesday.
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FC Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick will make just one change to his starting line up but also switch his team’s tactics for a Champions League last 16 second leg clash against Benfica on Tuesday.
The Catalans go into the tie with a 1-0 advantage earned in Lisbon, after expected Ballon d’Or candidate Raphinha netted in the second half at the Estadio da Luz while Flick’s troops were down to 10 men.
Barca have not been in action since, with its Saturday La Liga fixture against Osasuna postponed because of the tragic passing of first team doctor Carles Minarro Garcia.
At a prematch press conference on Monday, Flick fielded questions on how his players were feeling and first said that he thought “the team is managing the situation well” while “focused on this match”.
“The president and I have spoken with the locker room. It is a great loss, Carles was a great person and a great doctor,” the German added, later saying that Minarro “was a key piece of the team” and that the players “want to play for him”.
With Barca boasting just a slim margin, Flick revealed how “nobody thinks that the tie is resolved”.
Flick planned to make rotations at the weekend, which means there is just one major change compared to the team that ran out in the Portuguese capital last time around.
That involves Ronald Araujo coming in for red-carded Pau Cubarsi to partner Inigo Martinez in central defense, with Alejandro Balde and Jules Kounde also helping to protect Wojciech Szczesny’s goal.
In midfield, Flick switches things around a little to field a lone pivot – Frenkie de Jong – instead of two.
That means Dani Olmo and Pedri are more advanced, yet still sit behind the front line of Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal.
By getting through this match successfully, Barca can face either Lille or Borussia Dortmund in the quarterfinals, with that tie currently drawn 1-1.
FC Barcelona Vs. Benfica Starting XI: Szczesny; Balde, Inigo, Araujo, Kounde; De Jong; Olmo, Pedri; Raphinha, Lewandowski, Lamine
