Will Angel Di Maria play against Barcelona in the Champions League?
The spotlight shifts to the knockouts of the UEFA Champions League that will witness 16 teams battle it out for the ultimate prize in Europe across two legs. SL Benfica are drawn against Spanish giants and five-time champions FC Barcelona in the RO16 and will host them at the Estádio da Luz in Benfica.
Barcelona’s last trip to the venue witnessed them pull off an iconic win from behind in a nine-goal thriller. The Catalans have the upper hand heading into this fixture with almost everything favouring them. But, things are completely different for Benfica who will miss the services of their star man and World champions Angel Di Maria heading into the first leg.
News on Di Maria’s inclusion in the squad
Di Maria is said to have suffered from a muscle injury from which he is yet to recover. The Argentine forward sustained a knock about 20 days ago in the first-leg playoff against AS Monaco and had to be taken off a few minutes after coming on. He has already missed games against AS Monaco, Santa Clara, Boavista and Braga.
The 37-year-old has been one of the influential figures for Benfica across all competitions and will surely be a big miss for them in such a crucial fixture like the Champions League. His absence comes in as an added advantage for the Blaugrana who will look to replicate their heroics from the last game and put one foot into the last eight.
Benfica’s head coach addressed the media ahead of the game and informed everyone about Di Maria’s absence. “I think the tie will be tight. Tomorrow’s result will be important, but the return leg result will be decisive. Di María is not available for the game,” he asserted.
Moreover, Benfica will also miss the services of Florentino Luis in this game but will be boosted by the return of Renato Sanches who has been nursing an injury for almost two months.
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