Jude Bellingham and Enzo Fernandez are the brightest young players in Europe and they are destined for footballing greatness.

Bellingham has long been on elite clubs' radar as a potentially once-in-a-generation prospect. Having made his debut for boyhood club Birmingham City at the age of just 16, he signed for Borussia Dortmund back in 2020.

Now into his third season with the Bundesliga giants, Bellingham has become one of the outstanding players in his position in Europe's major leagues. He doesn't turn 20 until the summer and looks destined to follow Jadon Sancho and Erling Haaland as the next rising star to depart for a big-money fee.

He was outstanding for England at the World Cup and barely a day goes by without him being linked with a return to the Premier League. Liverpool are said to be actively pursuing Bellingham, but Real Madrid and Chelsea are also reportedly keeping tabs on the England international.

Enzo Fernandez only moved to Benfica from River Plate in the summer – for an initial fee of just €10million – but his rise has been so rapid that he's expected to depart the Estadio da Luz very soon.

The Argentinian midfielder is believed to have a €120million release clause, while Benfica are reportedly holding out for it to be paid in full.

His stock has risen exponentially after shining for the Portuguese giants so far this season; he's been one of their standout players as they've built a healthy lead at the top of the Primeira Liga and beat PSG to the top spot in their Champions League group.

The 21-year-old then starred for Argentina as they lifted the World Cup in Qatar. He played every minute of the knockout stages and was deservedly named the young player of the tournament at Qatar 2022.

A number of clubs are interested in signing the World Cup winner, but according to reports, it's Chelsea that are closest to making a move happen in the January transfer window.

"There's no doubt that they are focusing on Enzo Fernandez, but not at all costs," said transfer specialist David Ornstein in a recent media appearance.

But how do the two players stack up against one another? We've taken a look at their stats this season, from the Bundesliga and Primeira Liga respectively, to see how Jude Bellingham and Enzo Fernandez compare.

Goals

Jude Bellingham – 3
Enzo Fernandez – 1

Assists
Enzo Fernandez – 3
Jude Bellingham – 2

Minutes per goal or assist
Jude Bellingham – 270.0
Enzo Fernandez – 280.0

Chances created per 90 minutes
Enzo Fernandez – 2.0
Jude Bellingham – 1.0

Successful dribbles per 90 minutes (success rate)
Jude Bellingham – 2.0 (46.5%)
Enzo Fernandez – 0.3 (33%)

Passes per 90 minutes (passing accuracy)
Enzo Fernandez – 106.7 (89.3%)
Jude Bellingham – 51.9 (82.5%)

For more Jude Bellingham and Enzo Fernandez news, follow Sportz Point

The UEFA Champions League 2024-25 Round of 16 Second Leg has ended, concluding the round with eight teams that have earned their qualification into the Champions League Quarter Finals this season.

Read Also | UEFA Champions League 2024-25 Quarterfinals schedule: Everything you need to know

Paris Saint-Germain stunned Liverpool in the second leg, managing a 1-0 win in the regulation time before knocking the league phase leaders out of the competition following a 4-1 win on penalties.

Barcelona dominated over Benfica, earning a 3-1 victory at home to secure the quarter-final place with a 4-1 aggregate. Bayern Munich also clinched a 2-0 win against Bayer Leverkusen, advancing to the quarters with a 5-0 cushion across two legs.

Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid fought till the last minute as Atletico managed a 1-0 win to equalize the tie, but Los Blancos secured a 4-2 victory on penalties to advance to the quarters.

Read Also | UEFA Champions League 2024-25 Round of 16 First Leg Round Up

UEFA Champions League 2024-25 Round of 16 Second Leg Round Up

FC Barcelona 3-1 Benfica (4-1 Agg)

Raphinha and Lamine Yamal led from the front to help FC Barcelona win 3-1 against Benfica in the return leg, accumulating a 4-1 aggregate to progress through to the quarter-finals.

Raphinha opened the scoring in the 11th minute, as Otamendi equalized just two minutes later. However, a world-class strike from Lamine Yamal and Raphinha's second goal produced a dominant win for Blaugranas, despite a goalless second half.

Barcelona will take on Borussia Dortmund in the quarter-finals.

Read Also | Barcelona vs Benfica UEFA Champions League 2024-25 RO16 Second Leg Highlights: Barcelona through to quarter-finals with an easy 4-1 win on aggregate

Inter Milan 2-1 Feyenoord (4-1 Agg)

Inter Milan stamped a well-deserved 2-1 victory over Feyenoord at the San Siro, winning the tie on a 4-1 aggregate to advance to the quarter-finals.

Marcus Thuram netted an early goal in the eighth minute, that was canceled out by Jakub Moder, who equalized from the spot in the 42nd minute. However, Hakan Çalhanoğlu fired the winner with a boastful penalty in the 51st minute.

Inter Milan will go against Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals.

Liverpool 0-1 Paris Saint-Germain (1-1 Agg, 1-4 pens)

Arguably, this tie has produced the most gripping and absorbing footballing actions across two legs in the RO16 this season. After a fighting 1-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain at Parc de Princes, Liverpool crashed out of the UCL 2024-25 following a 1-4 defeat on penalties.

Ousmane Dembele drew the first blood early in the 12th minute, but almost 110 minutes of football afterwards failed to decide a winner, ending the tie on a 1-1 aggregate.

However, Gianluigi Donnarumma became a wall between PSG's sticks in the penalties, saving two penalties of Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones to hand PSG the advantage in a nail-biting shootout. Desire Doue netted the winning penalty for PSG, taking them to the quarters. 

Les Parisiens will meet Aston Villa in the quarter-finals.

Read Also | Liverpool vs Paris Saint-Germain Highlights UEFA Champions League 2024-25 RO16 Second Leg | PSG advances, Liverpool crash out after losing on penalties | FT LIV 0-1 PSG (1-1 AGG, 1-4 pens)

Bayer Leverkusen 0-2 Bayern Munich (0-5 Agg)

Bayern Munich had another composed victory over Bayer Leverkusen, beating them 2-0 to progress through the next stage with a commendable 5-0 aggregate.

Harry Kane and Alphonso Davies scored in the 52nd and the 71st minute respectively, leading the German side to the UCL 2024-25 quarter-finals.

Read Also | Bayer Leverkusen vs Bayern Munich Highlights UEFA Champions League 2024-25 Round of 16 2nd Leg: Bayern secures their spot in the quarter-finals | LEV 0-2 BAY (Agg. BAY 5-0 LEV)

Lille OSC 1-2 Borussia Dortmund (2-3 Agg)

Borussia Dortmund pulled off a sensational comeback against Lille OSC in the second leg, winning 2-1 against the French side to qualify for the quarters with a 3-2 aggregate.

Jonathan David opened the account for Lille only 5 minutes into the game, as the first half ended with Lille leading 2-1 in the tie. However, Emre Can converted the spotkick in the 54th minute to equalize the game, as Maxilmilian Beier netted a sublime curler in the 65th minute to hand Dortmund a comeback victory.

Dortmund will lock horns against FC Barcelona in the quarter-finals.

Read Also | Lille OSC vs Borussia Dortmund Highlights UEFA Champions League 2024-25 RO16 Second Leg | Dortmund wins a thrilling contest with a second-half comeback; advances to the quarters | FT LIL 1-2 BVB (AGG 2-3)

Aston Villa 3-0 Club Brugge (6-1 Agg)

Aston Villa earned a comfortable 3-0 victory over ten-men Club Brugge in the second leg to enter the quarters with a 6-1 score on aggregate.

After a goalless first half, Marco Asensio scored a brace in the 50th and 61st minute respectively, accompanied by Ian Maatsen who found the back of the net in the 57th minute. 

Aston Villa will face Paris Saint-Germain in the quarter-finals.

Read Also | Aston Villa vs Club Brugge UEFA Champions League 2024-25 RO16 Second Leg Highlights: Villa to face PSG in quarters after a 3-0 win (6-1 agg)

Arsenal 2-2 PSV Eindhoven (9-3 Agg)

After producing a 7-1 crushing in the first leg, Arsenal shared the spoils in a 2-2 stalemate with PSV in the return leg. Despite the draw, Arsenal are through to the quarters with a massive 9-3 win on aggregate.

Oleksandr Zinchenko scored early in the sixth minute of the game. However, Ivan Perisic equalized in the 18th minute for the visiting side. Declan Rice netted a banger in the 37th minute, but PSV pulled off another equalizing goal in the 70th minute as Couhaib Driouech scored in his first UCL start.

The game ended in a 2-2 draw, as Arsenal progressed onto the quarters, where they will go against the defending champions Real Madrid.

Atletico Madrid 1-0 Real Madrid (2-2 Agg, 2-4 pens)

The Madrid Derby in the return leg gifted another spectacular game of football. Atletico madrid levelled the tie with a 1-0 win after 120 minutes, but Real Madrid emerged victorious on penalties, winning 4-2 to march onto the quarters.

Atletico midfielder Connor Gallagher scored only 30 seconds after the kickoff, but both teams failed to find the net in the remaining minutes, leading the tie to a 2-2 aggregate.

However, Julian Alvarez's spotkick in the shootout was canceled for an apparent double touch. Atletico fell behind, but Real Madrid's fourth penalty, taken by Lucas Vanquez, was denied by Jan Oblak.

Following that, Marcos Llorente had a chance to pull Atletico back in the game, but he hit the woodwork under pressure. Antonio Rugider netted the winning penalty for Real Madrid. Los Blancos will face Arsneal in the quarters.

Read Also | Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid CF Highlights UEFA Champions League RO16 Second Leg: Real Madrid secures their spot in the quarterfinals after defeating Atletico on the penalties | ATM 1(2)-(4)0 RMA (AGG. RMA 2-2 ATM)

Hello and welcome everyone to our LIVE coverage. Tonight, we have the second leg of the round of 16 fixtures in UEFA Champions League 2024-25. 

This is Koushik Biswas, who will bring you all the Barcelona vs Benfica UEFA Champions League 2024-25 RO16 Second Leg LIVE updates, scores and news from the web desk. 

Barcelona are leading by 1-0 after the first leg in Lisbon and a draw would ensure them a place in the final eight. Meantime, Benfica would have to win by more than 1 goal to stay in the competition. 

Barcelona will be without young central defender Pau Cubarsi, who was shown a direct red card in the match. 

Read the full Barcelona vs Benfica match preview here.

The UEFA Champions League 2024-25 Round of 16 Second Leg encounters are knocking on the doors, offering some of the most decisive encounters this season, potentially setting up some big match-ups in the quarters.

Coming up this week 😮‍💨#UCL pic.twitter.com/2COhFpxvdw

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) March 10, 2025

After a slender victory in the first-leg encounter, FC Barcelona will host Benfica at home at the Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium on 11 March 2025, for the second-leg encounter in the UCL 2024-25 RO16. 

The Blaugranas were down to ten men following Pau Cubarsi's early send off. However, Wojciech Szczęsny's spectacular performance with eight saves along with Raphinha's beautiful finish secured the lead for Barcelona against Benfica in this crucial R016 tie.

Read Also | Benfica vs FC Barcelona UEFA Champions League 2024-25 Round of 16 Highlights: Raphinha's strike helps 10 men Barcelona beat Benfica by 1-0

From possible starting XIs to Fantasy predictions, here is everything you need to know about FC Barcelona vs Benfica's second leg of the Round of 16 match in the UEFA Champions League 2024-25. 

Read Also | UCL 2024-25 Round of 16 Draw: All details

Match Details 

Match: FC Barcelona vs Benfica - UEFA Champions League 2024-25 Round of 16 tie, Second Leg

Date: 11 March 2025

Time: 11:15 pm IST

Venue: Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium, Barcelona, Spain

Broadcasting and Streaming Details

The match will be streamed Live on the Sony Liv app and website. Viewers can also watch the game live on TV on Sony Sports Network. 

Team News

FC Barcelona

On March 6th, Barcelona managed a narrow 1-0 victory at the Estadio da Luz, taking the lead in this RO16 tie against Benfica.

Raphinha netted a thunderous strike in the 61st minute to ensure Barca's victory after getting down to ten men, while Wojciech Szczęsny produced a masterclass at goal, providing eight crucial saves throughout the game.

Barcelona have not played any matches recently, as their LaLiga game against Osasuna was postponed. This postponement came after Barcelona requested it due to the tragic passing of first-team doctor Carles Miñarro, hours before the Osasuna match.

The players and coaching staff observed a minute's silence before Sunday’s training at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper, whereas Benfica manager Bruno Lage also extended his condolences to Barcelona.

Despite the difficult atmosphere at the club, the Catalan side will do their best against Benfica to enter the quarter-finals for the second consecutive season. 

There are days when football takes a back seat. Carles, you will always be remembered. pic.twitter.com/mhvGQznPxe

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) March 9, 2025

However, coach Hansi Flick must find the defensive combination without Pau Cubarsi, who got suspended following the red card in the first leg. Andres Christensen suffered a fresh injury while Marc Andre Ter Stegen and Marc Bernal are recovering from the long-term injuries. On the contrary, Gavi is expected to be back in the squad.

🚨ℹ️ L’UEFA a accepté à requête du Barça pour qu’aucun joueur ne se présente en conférence de presse avant le match face à Benfica. Le Club souhaite protéger le groupe et c’est Hansi Flick qui répondra aux questions des journalistes.

Une minute de silence devrait avoir lieu. pic.twitter.com/sVdAZaz2zU

— 𝗙𝗖𝗕 (@BarcaFRNews) March 10, 2025

Benfica

Benfica must have been disappointed to suffer a narrow defeat in last week's home match. The Eagles failed to capitalize on Cubarsi's red card, losing at home to Barcelona for the second time this season, having previously experienced a shocking 4-5 defeat to them in a league phase match last January.

However, Benfica will travel to Spain following a 3-0 victory against Nacional in Liga Portugal this weekend, helping themselves to boost confidence before the decisive second leg encounter.

The Portuguese side will leave no stone unturned to qualify for the quarter-finals of the Champions League since their consecutive quarter-final finishes in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons.

🔜 𝑩𝒂𝒓𝒄𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒂! 🛫#𝑼𝑪𝑳 pic.twitter.com/6elq3Sy6xw

— SL Benfica (@SLBenfica) March 10, 2025

Manager Bruno Lage will have to field a competitive eleven against Barca without the services of Angel Di Maria, Alexander Bah, Manu Silva and Tiago Gouveia. Tomas Araujo is still doubtful for the game, while Alvaro Carreras will be suspended for accumulation of yellow cards. 

Head-to-head Stats 

Barcelona have only lost one of their last 10 games against Benfica in European competition (W5 D4), while they are unbeaten in the four occasions when they’ve hosted the Portuguese side (W2 D2)

On the other hand, Benfica haven’t won any of their four away games against Barcelona in European competition (D2 L2), while they’ve failed to score a goal in each of the last three. 

Matches played: 11

Barcelona won: 5

Benfica won: 2

Draws: 4

Possible Playing XI

FC Barcelona

Wojciech Szczęsny (GK); Jules Kounde, Ronald Araujo, Inigo Martinez, Aljeandro Balde; Dani Olmo, Frenkie De Jong, Pedri; Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski

Benfica

Anatoliy Trubin (GK); Leandro Santos, Antonio Silva, Nicolas Otamendi, Samuel Dahl; Fredrik Aursnes, Leandro Barreiro, Orkun Kökçü; Kerem Aktürkoğlu, Andreas Schjelderup, Vangelis Pavlidis

Barcelona vs Benfica: Fantasy XI Prediction

Szczęsny, Inigo, Otamendi, Balde, Pedri, Kökçü, Aktürkoğlu, Yamal, Pavlidis, Raphinha, Lewandowski

Following the conclusion of the UEFA Champions League 2024-25 Round of 16 First Leg, we can presume the potential entrants into the UCL quarter-finals, whereas the fate of some match-ups will be decided in the second leg.

Liverpool, the league phase leaders, managed a hard-fought 1-0 win against PSG; whereas ten-men Barcelona snatched a narrow 1-0 victory over Benfica. Real Madrid emerged victorious by 2-1 in the Madrid Derby against Atletico Madrid.

On the contrary, Bayern Munich thrashed Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 and Arsenal ran riot over PSV, winning 7-1 to practically secure their advancement to the next round of the competition.

Read Also | UEFA Champions League 2024-25 Knockout Stage Draw: Round of 16, Quarter-Final, and Semi-Final

UEFA Champions League 2024-25 Round of 16 First Leg Round Up

Club Brugge 1-3 Aston Villa

Aston Villa salvaged two late goals to triumph 3-1 over Club Brugge in the first leg of the RO16 tie at the Jan Breydel Stadium in Bruges, Belgium.

Leon Bailey opened the account for Aston Villa in only three minutes into the game. Club Brugge quickly answered with Maxim De Cuyper scoring in the 12th minute. 

However, Bruges defender Brandon Mechele scored a cheeky own goal to hand Villa the lead in the 82nd minute. Following that, Marco Asensio scored from the spot in the 88th minute, securing a two-goal lead for Aston Villa in the first leg.

Real Also | Club Brugge vs Aston Villa Highlights UEFA Champions League 2024-25 Round of 16: Aston Villa will face Club Brugge in the second leg with a two-goal lead

Real Madrid 2-1 Atlético Madrid

Real Madrid impressively managed a 2-1 victory in the first leg of the 'Madrid Derby' against Atletico Madrid, in one of the biggest fixtures of UCL 2024-25 RO16 this season.

Rodrygo scored a spectacular goal from Los Blancos in the fourth minute of the game, with Julian Alvarez canceling it out with another world-class strike in the 32nd minute.

However, Brahim Diaz scored the winner for Real Madrid in the 55th minute to hand Atletico a one-goal deficit ahead of the second leg.

Real Also | Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid Highlights UEFA Champions League 2024-25: Real Madrid secure narrow victory over Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the Round of 16

PSV 1-7 Arsenal

Arsenal ran demolition over PSV, crushing the Dutch side 7-1 in the first leg at the Philips Stadion in Eindhoven, Netherlands, practically securing their quarter-final tickets.

Jurrien Timber opened the scoring for Arsenal in the 18th minute, as Ethan Nwaneri doubled the lead in the 21st minute. Mikel Merino extended the lead in the 31st minutes, but PSV pulled off a goal from Noa Lang's spotkick in the 43rd minute.

Arsenal's scoring spree continued in the second half, with Martin Odegaard and Leandro Trossard scoring consecutively in the 47th and the 48th minute. Odegaard completed his brace in the 73rd minute, and Ricardo Calafiori put the final coffin on the nail in the 85th minute.

Borussia Dortmund 1-1 LOSC

Borussia Dortmund and Lille OSC shared an exciting 1-1 stalemate in the first leg at the Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund, with everything to play for in the second leg.

Karim Adeyemi netted an absolute banger in the 22nd minute of the match. Following that, Borussia found the equalizer in the 68th minute with Haraldsson tapping the ball home.

Feyenoord 0-2 Inter Milan

Inter Milan earned a dominant first-leg lead over Feyenoord, winning 2-0 in Rotterdam to manage a two-goal cushion ahead of the reverse fixture.

Marcus Thuram found the breakthrough for Inter in the 38th minute with a volleyed strike. Shortly after the break, Lautaro Martinez doubled the Nerazzurri's lead with a superb strike, also becoming Inter's all-time leading goalscorer in UCL.

The Italian outfit were close to adding a third goal from the spot, but Piotr Zieliński's penalty was well saved by Feyenoord custodian Timon Wellenreuther.

Bayern Munich 3-0 Bayer Leverkusen

Bayern Munich eased past Bayer Leverkusen in the first-ever all-German tie in the UCL, beating the Bundesliga counterparts 3-0 at the Allianz Arena.

Harry Kane opened the account for Bayern only nine minutes into the game, scoring a powerful header. In the 54th minute, Jamal Musiala extended the lead as he slashed it home from a rebound.

Leverkusen defender Nordi Mukiele was shown a second yellow and was sent off in the 62nd minute, resulting in the third goal for Bayern. Harry Kane completed his brace in the 75th minute by scoring from the penalty spot to hand Bayern a comfortable victory.

Read Also | FC Bayern Munich vs Bayer Leverkusen Highlights UEFA Champions League 2024-25: Kane's Brace leads Bayern to dominant 3-0 Win over ten-men Leverkusen

Benfica 0-1 Barcelona

Keeper Wojciech Szczęsny's trusted gloves resisted the fall of a ten-men FC Barcelona against Benfica in the first leg at Estádio da Luz, leading them to a slender 1-0 victory.

Defender Pau Cubarsi was sent off in the 22nd minute of the game, following a straight red card. Barcelona were down to ten men, but Wojciech Szczęsny became unbreakable beneath the sticks, making a massive eight saves on the way.

The only goal of the match came off Raphinha's magical feet, as the Brazilian found the back of the net with a sublime long-ranger strike that went past Trubin through the left-bottom corner.

PSG 0-1 Liverpool

It was another Champions League classic at Parc des Princes as Liverpool salvaged a narrow 1-0 victory against Paris Saint-Germain in an electric encounter.

Liverpool custodian Alisson Becker became absolute impregnable against continuous efforts from PSG attackers, especially Ousmane Dembele and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. Alisson was only beaten once in the 20th minute, when a marvellous curler from Kvaratskhelia ended up in the net, but was cancelled for offside.

Alisson made nine saves in the whole game, whereas Liverpool earned the winning goal in the 87th minute as Harvey Elliot fired his strike past Donnarumma, only 47 seconds after coming off the bench.

Read Also | Paris Saint-Germain vs Liverpool Highlights UEFA Champions League 2024-25 | Alisson puts up a masterclass in Paris; Elliot's late strike sinks a ruthless PSG

Hello and welcome to another UEFA Champions League night. Tonight we will be covering the first leg of the round of sixteen fixture between Benfica and FC Barcelona.

Last time when these two teams faced each other, Barcelona enjoyed a 5-4 win over the Portuguese giants. What was more remarkable was that Barcelona were down and out by 2-4 and then went on to win the match. 

So, with Benfica looking to take their revenge on their own turf, this promises to be an exciting battle. This is Koushik Biswas who will bring you all the live updates of the Benfica vs FC Barcelona match. 

Enjoy the coverage.