BARCELONA TICKETS v BENFICA: A more friendly affair

BARCELONA v BENFICA : Wednesday, April 5, 2006 . Camp Nou Kick off: 20:45
After the bitterness and diatribe that surrounded the tie with Chelsea, the quarter final clash with Sport Lisboa E Benfica promises to be a much friendlier affair as Ronald Koeman is welcomed back like a returning hero.
The flame-haired Dutchman is still revered at Camp Nou after he netted the winning goal in the 1992 European Cup Final against Sampdoria
and is widely tipped to become the Balugrana’s coach in the future.
While Jose Mourinho brooded and fumed for the cameras, Koeman will certainly be smiling before this second leg as he is ushered back to the club where he became a legend, whatever the result of the first leg may be. Also in the Portuguese team’s squad are Simao Sabrosa and Geovanni who both had checkered spells with Barça. Simao joined the Blaugrana in the summer of 1999 for 15 million euros from Sporting Club de Portugal, but spent the majority of
the first term on the bench.Midway through his second season, he decided to return his homeland and joined Benfica for 12 million euros and has become a local hero.
Geovanni was another lavish purchase by the previous board at Camp Nou as he
moved from Cruzeiro, in his native Brazil, for 19.6 million euros in 2001. The fleet-footed forward helped Barga reach the semi finals of the Champions League, but was soon on his way to Benfica on loan before a permanent deal was secured in 2003.
While a few of the visitors will be well-known to the Barcelona fans, they will be more relieved to see Carles Puyol back in the team after the club captain missed the first leg in Portugal through suspension. Many Barga pundits and supporters alike are very confident about defeating Koeman’s side and are already musing over whether Milan or Lyon will be their
opponents in the semis.
It may be a hasty move to look beyond this round, but given their opponent’s record so far, there is every reason to believe that Frank Rijkaard’s men are clear .favourites to progress.
Benfica qualified for the kncokout stages when they finished second in Group D, but they only secured two victories from their six matches.
After beating Lille in the opening fixture, they then endured defeats against Manchester United at Old Trafford and at home to Villarreai, who went on to top the table.
Two draws set up a final day clash with United in Portugal and the 2-1 win for Koeman’s men saw them progress.
The first knockout round saw them cause a surprise as they easily dispatched the reigning champions, as they beat Liverpool 1 -0 at home before chalking up a 2-0 win at Anfield. Barcelona are unbeaten so far this season in the competition and appear to be back to their best after a slight blip on the domestic front.
The major worry for Rijkaard is the potential absence of Rafa Marquez and Edmilson, but they should still progress and have the prospect of Xavi returning to the midfield in time for the semi finals.
Koeman may have been a hero in the tournament once, but he will not be tasting European glory at Barcelona on this visit.