Alright folks, today I figured I’d actually sit down and compare the starting lineups for that big Barça versus Benfica match everyone’s buzzing about. Wanted to see for myself which side really packs the bigger punch on paper, you know? Grabbed my notebook and hit the couch.
First thing I did was dig up the most likely starting elevens from a few different footy sites. Didn’t wanna rely on just one source, right? Took me a good fifteen minutes scrolling through predictions and confirmed lists. Man, these managers love to keep things spicy with last-minute changes sometimes!
The Barca Setup
Okay, Barça’s lineup. Mats in goal obviously, dude’s a brick wall. Their defense usually looks solid: Balde sprinting down the left like lightning, Araujo and Christensen bossing the middle – that pair looks physically tough, Araujo especially. Kounde on the right seems comfortable enough. Then midfield? Gavi buzzing everywhere with pure fire, De Jong controlling the rhythm – when he’s on, it’s smooth. Gundogan playing further up with that clever experience. Up front? Lewandowski the goal machine central, flanked by Raphinha trying tricky stuff on one wing and Felix cutting inside on the other. Looks strong on paper.
The Benfica Setup
Now, over to Benfica. Trubin in goal, decent keeper. Defense feels a bit more… workmanlike? Or maybe I just don’t know them as well. Bah as a flying fullback, António Silva and Otamendi center – Otamendi’s got experience but age, yeah? Aursnes often slots in somewhere useful. Midfield usually has Florentino Luis being a destroyer, Neves providing some craft. Then upfront, Di María still doing bits! Rafa Silva buzzing around looking dangerous, and Goncalo Ramos leading the line or Joao Mario playing off him. They rely a lot on that individual magic from Di María and Rafa.
So I started scribbling it out, putting names next to each other position-by-position:
- Goalkeeper: Ter Stegen vs. Trubin. No brainer for me, Mats wins hands down.
- Full Backs: Balde/Kounde vs. Bah. Speed and technique edge to Barça.
- Center Backs: Araujo/Christensen vs. Silva/Otamendi. Again, felt Barça’s pairing just looked physically stronger and Araujo is a beast.
- Midfield: Gavi/FdJ/Gundogan vs. Florentino/Neves/Aursnes. Here’s where I paused. Barça’s trio has way more star power and control. Gavi’s energy plus De Jong’s passing? Tough to beat.
- Wingers: Raphinha/Felix vs. Di María/Rafa Silva. This was interesting! Benfica’s duo relies heavy on moments of genius. Di Maria at 36 can still do it… sometimes. Barça’s got younger legs maybe, but Rafa Silva scares me a bit, ngl.
- Striker: Lewandowski vs. Ramos. Experience and proven goals (Lewy) vs younger, more slippery? Lewandowski for the win, but Ramos ain’t bad.
Finished my scribbles and looked it over. Overall? Felt like Barça just looked stronger across more positions. Their names carry more weight, that simple attraction thing. Benfica’s spine felt solid enough, but leaning on veterans like Otamendi and Di Maria… it felt potentially fragile against that fast Barça press? And that midfield comparison kinda sealed it for me – Barça’s looked way more creative and dominant.
So yeah, after really laying it out myself side by side, hand down, Barça got the stronger starting lineup. More stars, more consistent quality throughout most positions. Benfica got weapons, for sure, Di Maria and Rafa can cause chaos, but the overall XI? Barça edges it. End of story.
