Barcelona wing wizard Raphinha will be chasing down a club Champions League record set by Lionel Messi in Wednesday's showdown with Borussia Dortmund.
Hansi Flick's side welcome the 2023-24 runners-up to Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys for the first leg of their quarter-final battle on April 9, having conquered Benfica 4-2 on aggregate in the last 16.
The electrifying Raphinha was pivotal to Barca's success over their Portuguese counterparts, scoring three goals and providing one assist over the two legs, including a brace in the 3-1 second-leg success.
Having also set up Lamine Yamal's strike in the home leg, Raphinha now sits on a staggering 16 goal contributions from just 10 Champions League appearances this season, 11 of his own and five assists.
The 3-1 beating of Benfica last time out also marked the second time this season that Raphinha had directly contributed to three goals in one Champions League game, following on from his hat-trick in the 4-1 league-phase success over Bayern Munich.
Raphinha could equal or beat Messi record in Dortmund showdown
© Imago
Should Raphinha have a direct hand in another three goals on Wednesday night, he will equal Messi's record for the most ever contributions in a single Champions League campaign for Barcelona.
The Argentina legend produced a staggering 19 direct goal involvements during the 2011-12 Champions League season, scoring 14 goals of his own and setting up five more before La Blaugrana lost to Chelsea in the semi-finals.
Thirteen years later, Flick's side are now considered one of the favourites to go all the way for the first time since 2015, while Raphinha still leads the way in the race for the Golden Boot.
No player can match the former Leeds United man's 11 tournament goals in 2024-25 - Dortmund's Serhou Guirassy and Bayern's Harry Kane are both on 10 - and Raphinha's exceptional form both domestically and continentally has him firmly in contention for the coveted Ballon d'Or.
Across the Champions League, Copa del Rey, La Liga and Supercopa de Espana, Raphinha has managed a sensational 27 goals and 20 assists in 44 appearances, and Barcelona's hopes of completing an astonishing quadruple remain alive.
Flick allays Raphinha burnout fears before Dortmund showdown
© Imago
However, Raphinha comes into the first leg of the quarter-final with little match practice since the March international break, only playing 33 minutes across Barcelona's last three La Liga matches.
After missing the March 27 win over Osasuna and being an unused substitute against Girona three days later, the Brazilian replaced Ferran Torres for the final half-hour of the weekend's draw with Real Betis.
Raphinha is expected to return to the first XI on Wednesday, though, and Flick allayed fears that the winger was burned out during his pre-game press conference, telling journalists: "I don't have this feeling. Of course, we've managed it.
"After the international break, we've given them time to recover, but in training, what you see in training is the same as before. I mean, he's very active, he's there, awake, and with his dynamics, the training also shows that he's ready for tomorrow's game."
Barcelona have already beaten Dortmund in this season's Champions League, a 3-2 league-phase win at the Signal Iduna Park in December, where Raphinha wore the captain's armband and scored the first goal of the game.
Ben Knapton
