For FC Barcelona it will be a relief to know that tonight, at Estadio da Luz, they won't have to face Florentino.
Neither Florentino nor Di María have arrived in time. Neither of them will be able to face the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 against FC Barcelona.
6 Days of Rest for Benfica, All Are Advantages in Portugal
Benfica will try to recover Florentino for the return match. The same goes for Di María, who won't face Flick's players tonight.
Barça's opponent has had extra days of rest to prepare for the match, well protected by the Portuguese sports authorities. No less than six days of rest have been enjoyed to face Barça.
The blaugrana team, on the other hand, saw how the match against Real Sociedad, scheduled for Saturday, was moved to Sunday.
This Is How Javier Tebas Collaborates in the task of facilitating things for the Spanish LaLiga teams.
However, what the rest hasn't achieved is to recover Di María and Florentino in time. They are two key pieces in coach Bruno Lage's plans.
Di María was injured in the thigh while playing against Monaco. Florentino has a muscle injury in the left thigh. Doctors predicted three weeks, and there hasn't been a miracle in his second week.
Di María Also Doesn't Arrive in Time
Florentino Is Untouchable in Lage's Lineups. He has played 2,394 minutes in 31 matches, 29 as a starter.
Di María, meanwhile, at 37 years old has played 32 matches this season, 25 as a starter, with 14 goals and 8 assists.
For Flick it will be a relief not to have them in front. Although he will need to pay special attention to Vengelis Pavlidis, the Greek forward who scored a hat trick in Barça's last visit to Lisbon.
Barça won 4-5 in a crazy match that was solved favorably in the final minutes when everything seemed lost.
In that match, the Spanish full-back Álvaro Carreras, in Real Madrid's orbit, also excelled brightly.