There isn’t long to wait for the second legs of the UEFA Champions League Last 16, with the next matches coming just a week after the first legs. FC Barcelona vs Benfica is the first game featuring a Spanish club, coming up on Tuesday March 11th at the Estadi Olímpic, with Barça holding a 1-0 lead as they seek a sixth European Cup. Then, Spain’s capital will be fixated on the action at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano for Atlético de Madrid vs Real Madrid on Wednesday March 12th, with Los Blancos holding a 2-1 lead in that tie. 

With all three of these clubs fighting to try to win a treble, since they’re very much in the mix in LALIGA EA SPORTS and the Copa del Rey, it’s a thrilling time to be a fan of these teams. 

FC Barcelona vs Benfica: Time to end a 19-year wait for a home win against the Lisbon side

The second leg of this tie will be the third meeting between these two teams this season, since they also met in the league phase. Barça won then and also in the first leg in Lisbon, a 1-0 victory secured by a Raphinha goal in the 61st minute. The Brazilian had also netted two goals in Los Azulgranas’ win in Portugal in the league phase. 

Making this first leg result all the more satisfying for FC Barcelona was the fact that they went down to 10 men in the 22nd minute, when Pau Cubarsí was sent off. Fortunately for the Catalan outfit, Wojciech Szczęsny was in fine form and made eight saves during the match. The Polish player is the first FC Barcelona goalkeeper to achieve this number without conceding in a Champions League game since 2004. For the Portuguese side, they’ll need to be more clinical in the second leg, and they do have experience in the form of Nicolás Otamendi, who has played in this competition 100 times. Plus, they have emerging talents, such as their 23-year-old goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin, who stood out as he denied Robert Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal. 

Hansi Flick’s team want to make the quarter-finals, the stage where Barça were eliminated last season by PSG. Yet, it won’t be easy. FC Barcelona haven’t won a home game against Benfica in 19 years, and the last meeting in Catalonia, in the 2021/22 group stage, ended as a 0-0 draw and ultimately led to the elimination of the team then coached by Xavi. Spooling back to 2012/13, the teams played out another 0-0 draw, also in the group stage. So, the last time Barça won at home against Benfica was back on April 5th 2006, a 2-0 victory courtesy of goals by Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto'o.

Should they advance this time, FC Barcelona would play the winner of Borussia Dortmund vs Lille, a tie that is all level at 1-1 after goals from Karim Adeyemi and Hákon Arnar Haraldsson in the first leg.

Atlético de Madrid vs Real Madrid: A European derby for the Spanish capital 

The first leg of this European derby was thrilling, and ended in a 2-1 victory for Carlo Ancelotti’s side. Rodrygo scored early, before a Julián Álvarez equaliser and then a Brahim Díaz winner. Now, Los Merengues and Los Colchoneros will meet again, this time at Atleti’s home, where the winner will be determined. 

Real Madrid’s home win at the Santiago Bernabéu puts them in a good position, and they have historically gotten the better of their neighbours in European duels, famously winning the 2014 and 2016 finals in Lisbon and Milan. Now, Los Blancos hope to win again and reach the quarter-finals for the fifth season in a row. They haven’t gone out at this stage since a 2019/20 elimination against Manchester City. 

That said, there are a couple of positive stats from Los Colchoneros’ point of view. Firstly, Atlético de Madrid haven’t ever lost a home Champions League knockout game (neither at the Estadio Vicente Calderón nor the Riyadh Air Metropolitano) in the Diego Simeone era, with 11 wins and six draws. Plus, Simeone has overseen three turnarounds in elimination ties with the second leg at home, as Atleti fought back against Bayer Leverkusen in 2015, FC Barcelona in 2016 and Inter in 2024. Real Madrid have only once conserved a one-goal lead through a second leg like this, in 2014 against Bayern Munich, while they let a home leg one-goal lead slip on a few occasions, against Juventus in 1996, 2003 and 2005 and against Bayern Munich in 2007. 

For Real Madrid fans, they’ll be glad to see Jude Bellingham return for this game, after serving a yellow card suspension in the first leg. As for Atlético de Madrid, they’ll be hoping Julián Álvarez can keep up his fine form. In nine Champions League games this season, he has already scored seven goals. 

Whoever comes through this tie between Real Madrid and Atlético de Madrid will take on PSV or Arsenal in the next round, which almost certainly means a trip to London after the Gunners won the first leg 7-1. It promises to be another thrilling week of Champions League action.