The key factor that makes Benfica a nightmare for Barcelona’s defence | OneFootball

Benfica are set to face Barcelona in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16, determined to overturn a 0-1 deficit.

As they arrive in Montjuic, there is a strong sense of belief within their squad that they can still progress in the competition.

This optimism has been consistently echoed in the dressing room since the first leg, as the team remains confident in their ability to turn things around.

One of the key points that fuels this confidence is their offensive output since the Champions League play-off against Monaco.

The general belief within Benfica’s camp is that creating chances is the most crucial step towards scoring goals.

This notion is backed by an impressive statistic: since their first-leg play-off match against Monaco, Benfica have played seven competitive matches and attempted a total of 151 shots.

A breakdown of these seven fixtures provides a clearer picture of their attacking efforts:

Despite this attacking intensity, Benfica have only managed to score 12 goals from these 151 shots across the seven matches.

The numbers show that 61 of their attempts were on target, 50 went off target, and 40 were blocked by the opposition defence.

This means that on average, Benfica needed 2.5 shots to register one on target and 12.6 attempts to convert a single goal.