Benfica dreams of qualifying for the Champions League round of 16

And to get closer to that goal, the Portuguese will try to achieve a victory in their visit to Barcelona, which will have Xavi Hernandez's debut in this tournament. The challenge is very difficult, in fact, and the 'Eagles' coach, Jorge Jesus, understands it too.

"I don't expect a Barcelona, just because they have a new coach, with different ideas. Anyone who trains in that house, like Xavi, knows what the idea of that team's system is. Both Koeman and Xavi play 4-3-3. Now, each coach brings dynamics and chooses different players. Xavi's arrival brings a favorable environment that gives more confidence to the team," said the Portuguese in a press conference.

"They are still a great team, with players who can break through offensively at any time. Playing at Camp Nou with the fans will be even more difficult. The atmosphere is good for Barcelona, but also for Benfica, because all the big teams like to play in a stadium with a lot of fans, beautiful, and that's what will happen," added the 67-year-old coach.

Jorge Jesus, on the other hand, considered a draw at Camp Nou not negative, considering that in the last matchday Barcelona will have to face Bayern Munich, while his team will face Dynamo Kiev, with almost no chance of advancing to the next round.

"If we draw 0-0, we can qualify. Of course, we would depend on others, but that result (the draw) is more negative for Barcelona than for Benfica. We seek to play to win, knowing that we will be very tight defensively during the match because all teams go through that at Camp Nou, and because Barcelona has a lot of ball possession," he commented.

"Going to Barcelona with the possibility of qualifying for the round of 16 with two matches remaining is an honor for Benfica, the players, and the coach. We are playing in a group stage with a rival who is a candidate to win the Champions League. Tomorrow is a final," concluded the former Flamengo coach.

In Group E of the most important European club tournament, Bayern Munich is the leader with 12 points. Barcelona follows with 6 points, while Benfica is third with 4 points. Dynamo Kiev is at the bottom with 1 point.