One of the stellar ties in this week's batch of UEFA Champions League clashes sees European heavyweights Chelsea take on Barcelona at Stamford Bridge tonight.
Chelsea have stumbled into reasonable form of late, including a 2-0 victory over Burnley at Turf Moor at the weekend. The Blues remain defensively susceptible and frustrating to watch for the neutral despite the relative success of last season, which included winning the FIFA Club World Cup and the UEFA Europa Conference League.
Barcelona have been exposed quite often throughout this campaign but the Blaugrana have closed the gap to Real Madrid at the top of La Liga to a single point. The Catalans played at the reopened Camp Nou at the weekend, hammering Athletic Club 4-0 in front of a reduced crowd of 45,000.
Can Chelsea produce a famous European night at the Bridge or will Barca continue their renewed form? AllSportsPeople brings you the latest tips and odds for this clash in the league phase of the UEFA Champions League, as well as how to claim 50/1 odds for Chelsea to score a single goal.
Chelsea vs. Barcelona preview: Who will win tonight?
Chelsea will believe they have enough attacking potential to get at a Barca side that can be exposed quite easily at the back, especially as a result of their extreme high-line.
However, if the game does burst out into chaos - as is the case for most Barcelona matches (their 19 games across this competition and the league have produced 70 goals) - favouring the visitors to win in a high-scoring shootout is not a bad bet.
The last three meetings between the two sides have averaged three goals per game, while Chelsea have never failed to score at home against Barcelona (eight matches). The Blues to score at 50/1 with Sky Bet is, therefore, a strong offer in the headline match of tonight's action.
EXPLAINED: How to claim the Sky Bet Chelsea vs. Barcelona offer in 3 simple steps
Head-to-Head: Chelsea vs. Barcelona
- The most recent outing between these two sides came in the round of 16 of the 2017/18 UEFA Champions League with Barcelona completing a 4-1 aggregate victory over the Blues.
- That win for Barca ended an eight-match unbeaten run of form for Chelsea in this fixture, which included the famous semi-final win in the UCL back in 2012.
- Overall, the two sides have clashed on 17 occasions with Barcelona edging the record with six victories and Chelsea coming out on top in five matches.
Chelsea vs. Barcelona: Form Guide
Chelsea – Last 5 Matches (All Competitions)
- Burnley 0-2 Chelsea (Premier League)
- Chelsea 3-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers (Premier League)
- Qarabag 2-2 Chelsea (UEFA Champions League)
- Tottenham Hotspur 0-1 Chelsea (Premier League)
- Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-4 Chelsea (EFL Cup)
Barcelona – Last 5 Matches (All Competitions)
- Barcelona 4-0 Athletic Club (La Liga)
- Celta Vigo 2-4 Barcelona (La Liga)
- Club Brugge 3-3 Barcelona (UEFA Champions League)
- Barcelona 3-1 Elche (La Liga)
- Real Madrid 2-1 Barcelona (La Liga)
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Chelsea vs. Barcelona Final Score Prediction
The issue for Chelsea is that they play a very deliberate and slow, possession-based style of football, whereas Barcelona can be exposed by giving up the ball and relentlessly catching them in behind.
Whether or not Enzo Maresca's Chelsea are humble enough to try and adapt their style of football, Barca will still be expected to be able to out score the Blues in west London, with Chelsea perhaps being too stodgy and deliberate in their approach.
TSN Score Prediction: Chelsea 1-2 Barcelona (9/1 with Sky Bet)
Chelsea vs. Barcelona Team News, Injury Latest
Chelsea Team News
- It was confirmed by Enzo Maresca last week that Cole Palmer suffered a freak toe injury in an accident at home and so he would be missing for this one.
- Enzo Fernandez has filled in very well in the attacking midfield role and he is again expected to play ahead of a midfield pairing of Moises Caicedo and Reece James.
- The Blues do have quite a few longer term injury issues for this one, such as defender Levi Colwill and midfielder Romeo Lavia.
Barcelona Team News
- Barcelona have been able to welcome back key men ahead of this week, such as goalkeeper Joan Garcia and winger Raphinha.
- Marcus Rashford makes the bench as the Manchester United loanee deals with illness.
- Key man Pedri picked up an injury before the November international break and he is sidelined but Frenkie de Jong, suspended domestically, is available on the continent.
Chelsea vs. Barcelona lineups: Confirmed starting XI's
This is how the two sides lineup at Stamford Bridge tonight. Wesley Fofana is preferred to Tosin Adarabioyo at centre-back for Chelsea and Pedro Neto given the nod as a false nine over Joao Pedro, while Marcus Rashford is on the bench for Barcelona despite illness.
Chelsea confirmed lineup to play Barcelona
(4-2-3-1) Sanchez (GK) — Gusto, Fofana, Chalobah, Cucurella – James, Caicedo — Estevao, Fernandez, Garnacho – Neto
Barcelona confirmed lineup to play Chelsea
(4-3-3) J. Garcia (GK) — Kounde, Cubarsi, Araujo, Balde — E. Garcia, De Jong, Fermin Lopez — Yamal, Lewandowski, Torres
What are the odds for Chelsea vs. Barcelona?
- Chelsea to Win: 11/10 with Paddy Power
- Barcelona to Win: 19/10 with Ladbrokes
- Draw: 11/4 with SpreadEx
Bet Builder Tips: Chelsea vs. Barcelona
As Chelsea take on Barcelona at Stamford Bridge in a key contest in the UCL league phase, our bet builder backs both teams to score, Barcelona to win, Robert Lewandowski to score anytime and Enzo Fernandez to be carded which came to overall odds of 22/1 with Bet365 at the time of writing.
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Chelsea vs. Barcelona TV channel and live stream
Here's all the key information on how to watch Chelsea vs. Barcelona today.
- Date: Tuesday, November 25
- Venue: Stamford Bridge, London, England
- Time: 8:00 p.m.
- TV/Stream: Amazon Prime
What happened in Chelsea vs. Barcelona 2009?
Referee Tom Ovrebo rejected a succession of penalty appeals for Chelsea - including a clear handball by Gerard Pique - before Andres Iniesta scored a spectacular goal deep into injury time to take Pep Guardiola's Barcelona into the Champions League final on away goals (1-1 on aggregate).
What is Robert Lewandowski's record against English clubs?
The Poland captain had been dealing with injury for much of the start of this campaign but the 37-year-old has begun to find some form again of late and he has often been a thorn in the side of English clubs in this competition.
The English team that he has faced the most during his career, primarily at Bayern Munich, is Arsenal, whom he has scored four goals against and provided four assists in eight matches.
Against Chelsea, he has faced the Blues twice and scored three goals in those games. Overall, against English teams, Lewandowski has played 17 games and scored ten goals.