Barcelona will closely monitor €18m-rated Benfica full-back in tonight’s UCL fixture | OneFootball

FC Barcelona are set to face Benfica in their upcoming UEFA Champions League tie. Both of these teams will be looking for a win in this game as the three points will allow Benfica to mathematically secure qualification to the next round of the competition, while these three points will allow the Blaugranes to finish in the top eight and thus qualify directly to the Round of 16.

Another factor that will make this game interesting for the Catalans will be the fact that they will be facing a player in this Benfica team with whom they have been linked in the last few months. As Mundo Deportivo has noted this player is the Spanish fullback Álvaro Carreras.

The €18m-rated Spanish full-back was linked with the Catalans only last October, when there were reports in the Portuguese media about the Blaugranes following him closely, which is understandable as he has been performing at quite an impressive level for Benfica since his move to Benfica from Manchester United.

Some reports had already claimed in December that Barcelona will raise the subject of his transfer when they visit Benfica for this upcoming tie.

In addition to the fullback, Florentino Luis is another player who has been linked with the Catalans in the past, as his own agent acknowledged the interest of the Blaugrana club back in the summer of 2023.

Similarly, another player who is currently playing for Benfica and who has been linked with Barcelona in the past is the Argentine Angel di Maria, who offered himself to the Catalans after PSG released him in 2022. Hansi Flick also praised the former Real Madrid forward in the press conference ahead of this game.

Thus, in addition to the quality and aspirations of these two teams, the presence of these players on the pitch will also add another flavor to the game tonight.