It took a two-goal flurry from their main man Lionel Messi to take all three points against Spartak Moscow in their opening Champions League game, and Barcelona will be extremely wary of the threat posed by Portuguese giants Benfica.

There was a point in time when Benfica were the biggest club in Europe, with Eusebio their superstar. However, when Benfica host Barcelona in Tuesday's Champions League match, it will be Barcelona who will be the favorites, with Messi the world's best player.

Barca manager Tito Vilanova is extremely aware of Benfica's capabilities and knows it will be an tough test for his side. Barcelona are yet to score at Benfica, having played out two goalless draws in their two previous outings.

"It won't be easy, as we know from our two last matches here where we didn't score," Vilanova said. "They are strong in attack and dangerous on the wings. Benfica are a big club, and because of what they have done in the past, they have earned our respect."

Vilanova is wary of the attacking threat posed by the Portuguese club, who will be without prolific scorer Oscar Cardozo due to a thigh injury, but believes his side are capable of dealing with the situation. "I don't think that Benfica will sit back in midfield and wait for us," he said. "It's their first home game and I don't believe that Benfica will be happy with just one point.

"Benfica's attack worries me, but we play our way. Sevilla also had good wingers and created danger on the counter, but the important thing here is not to lose our identity and to keep our style of game. We'll see who can play for us and then we will analyse the opposition's strengths."

Benfica manager Jorge Jesus is under no illusion of the magnitude of the challenge his side faces, but insists they are not afraid of their more illustrious opponents. "For me, playing against Barcelona is normal, as we are in the Champions League where you play against the best teams," he said. "We had Celtic, now it's Barcelona.

"We'll try to stop them like any other team would. We respect them, but we don't fear them."

Jesus said stopping the likes of Xavi and Andres Iniesta will be more crucial than trying to shackle Messi. Iniesta, however, is a doubtful starter due to injury, with the playmaker to be assessed right before the game. "Barcelona are not just Messi," he continued. Xavi and Iniesta are the ones who give quality to their attacking game in the key areas where Messi appears to score.

"We have to defend properly, but with their individual skills they can make the difference. A point against the favourites would be good. Not losing in matches like this one is a good result.

"It will be a big European night, like we have had in recent seasons, so the big difference is that the opponent is Barcelona. The atmosphere will be great and we want to perform well against them, and if possible get a point."

Expected Line-ups: Benfica: Artur, Pereira, Jardel, Garay, Melgarejo, Matic, Perez, Gaitan, Salvio, Rodrigo, Lima.

Barcelona: Valdes, Alves, Song, Mascherano, Alba, Busquets, Xavi, Fabregas, Pedro, Alexis, Messi.