Illness rules Barcelona star out of Champions League clash against Benfica – Football España

Barcelona have named their starting line-up to face Benfica in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 clash at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon. Hansi Flick is determined to take an advantage back to the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys for next week’s return leg, as he has named his “gala XI” for the showdown clash.

Flick has made three changes to the side that swept aside Real Sociedad at the weekend. Wojciech Szczesny starts in goal, with the defence being Jules Kounde, Pau Cubarsi, Inigo Martinez and Alejandro Balde. In midfield, Frenkie de Jong is preferred to Marc Casado as the partner to Pedri, with Dani Olmo operating in the advanced role. The familiar front three line up together in attack, with Lamine Yamal and Raphinha flanking 34-goal striker Robert Lewandowski.

BARÇA XI #BenficaBarça @ChampionsLeague pic.twitter.com/bI0s7wudhH

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) March 5, 2025

One player that misses out altogether in Lisbon is Gavi. The 20-year-old was not risked from the bench against La Real as he was suffering with a fever, and that has continued to plague him in recent days. On Tuesday, Flick confirmed during his pre-match press conference that a late decision would be made, and in the end, he has not been made available.

As per Sport, Gavi has not been at 100% ever since stepping foot in Lisbon, and because Flick is a manager that is not keen on taking risks with his players, he made the decision not to including him in the matchday squad.

Instead, Ansu Fati has made a rare appearance on the Barcelona bench. The 22-year-old forward, who has not been counted on by Flick in recent months, had missed out on the squad for the last three matches against Las Palmas, Atletico Madrid and La Real, but because of Gavi’s illness, he has been included for this one, although it would be a surprise if he were to see any minutes.