Chelsea lock horns with Barcelona at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night in what promises to be a cracking Champions League clash, live at 8pm on Amazon Prime.
This is a fixture that almost never fails to deliver, regularly serving up buckets of drama, controversy, animosity, and a fair few goals too.
The clubs head into the game locked on seven points after four gameweeks, with Barcelona positioned one place higher in 11th thanks to their superior goal difference.
Chelsea vs Barcelona Prediction & Tips
Score Draw @ 17/5 with BetVictor
A difficult game to call given the great form of both clubs but we can expect goals, with Chelsea scoring in their last 17 games and Barcelona netting 14 goals in their last four games alone.
Moises Caicedo To Be Booked @ 9/4 with bet365
Caicedo has been carded in 5 of his last 6 games for club and country, including the last 4 in a row, and Chelsea’s key cog is set for a busy evening in the middle of the park against a technical, tricky, and intelligent Barcelona midfield.
Robert Lewandowski To Score @ 31/20 with BetMGM
The striker is in red-hot form with 5 goals in his last 4 games for club and country, including a hat-trick against Celta Vigo.
Chelsea Form & Team News
Chelsea have hit form in recent weeks, quietly emerging as the closest challengers to Arsenal in the Premier League title race. The Blues are unbeaten in five games in all competitions, winning four, and have beaten Benfica (1-0) and Ajax (5-1) in their two Champions League home games.
Boss Enzo Maresca has key decisions to make in attack, with the likes of Estavio, Pedro Neto, and Alejandro Garnacho all in fine form right now. Moises Caicedo is expected to return to the starting lineup after he was rested against Burnley, while skipper Reece James was brought off at half-time with this fixture in mind. However, Cole Palmer remains out with a fractured toe, while Dario Essugo, Levi Colwill and Romeo Lavia remain sidelined.
Barcelona Form & Team News
Barcelona have warmed up for this fixture by firing a combined eight goals past Celta Vigo (4-2) and Athletic Bilbao (4-0). They are unbeaten in four games but have lost three of their last nine in all competitions, which includes a home defeat to holders PSG, while they drew 3-3 away to Club Brugge in their most recent European outing.
Hansi Flick has an abundance of attacking options, with Robert Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal, and Ferran Torres all in excellent form in front of goal. Raphinha is pushing for a start, while Marcus Rashford is also back in contention after recovering from illness. However, the Catalan club will be without goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen and the midfield duo of Pedri and Gavi.
Head-to-Head Battles and What the Stats Reveal
Chelsea head into this clash unbeaten in their last five matches and can draw on a strong recent record against Barcelona in Europe. The Blues have won six of the last nine Champions League meetings between the sides, losing just once. Barcelona, meanwhile, have managed only one victory in their last eight visits to Stamford Bridge, suffering five defeats.
Barcelona did win the most recent encounter 3–0 at the Nou Camp in 2018, and they’ve travelled well in England lately, winning six of their last nine matches on English soil, including a 2-1 victory over Newcastle earlier this season.
We can expect goals on Tuesday night, given that Chelsea have scored in their last 17 consecutive games in all competitions since playing out a goalless draw against Crystal Palace in August. Meanwhile, Barcelona have scored in each of their last 24 Champions League games, firing in a whopping 67 goals in the process.
Key Battles on the Pitch
Estevao vs Alejandro Balde
Estevao is in superb form, scoring in his last two Champions League games and twice for Brazil during November’s international break. He’s a star in the making and set to cause Alejandro Balde numerous problems.
Moises Caicedo vs Barcelona midfield
Chelsea’s midfield machine will play a pivotal role in disrupting the rhythm of Barcelona’s midfield, who themselves will look to control the game.
Marc Cucurella vs Lamine Yamal
The Spanish teammates will know each other well and are set for a fascinating battle on the flank, with Chelsea’s full-back tasked with containing Barcelona’s electric young talent, whose creativity and 1v1 ability can change matches in an instant.