Benfica manager Bruno Lage has shared his thoughts on Tuesday’s Champions League tie as he prepares to come up against Barcelona once more in the competition.

Barcelona head into the match in the driving seat after securing a 1-0 win in Portugal last week but have seen their preparations for the match overshadowed by the tragic death of team doctor Dr Carles Minarro Garcia on Saturday.

Lage is well aware that the sad circumstances mean it’s going to be a tough evening for his opponents at Montjuic.

“I’m so sorry about the death of the Barcelona doctor. I don’t know how they’ll react. It’s a difficult time. I think they want to dedicate a victory to someone so close to them, but we also have important things to do,” he told a pre-match press conference.

“We have a 37-year-old player who stayed at home and still has a record to beat in the Champions League, Di María. We have an important competition for its prestige. We have our reasons to be motivated and confident.”

Lage also praised Hansi Flick for the job he’s done since arriving in the summer but is still optimistic his team can get a result.

“We have to understand that Barcelona are a great team, full of players of enormous quality, particularly the three up front, although the one who stood out in the last game was the goalkeeper,” he added.

“The coach has done an incredible job, in 2025 they are the only team in Europe that has not lost yet. We always created many goal-scoring opportunities and we feel that the results could have been different. When the moment comes and when the game comes, we have to understand very well how we can continue the two games we played.”

The winners of the tie will progress to a quarter-final clash with either Dortmund or Lille. That tie is locked at 1-1 after the first leg in Germany.