Who: Chelsea vs Barcelona
Contents: League Phase, UEFA Champions League
Location: Stamford Bridge, London, UK
When: Tuesday 8pm (20:00 GMT)
How to follow: Get everything ready on Al Jazeera Sports from 17:00 GMT ahead of the live text commentary stream.
Chelsea host Barcelona at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday in a very important Matchday 5 league phase fixture of the UEFA Champions League (UCL).
Recommended stories
list of 4 itemsend of list
Chelsea and Barcelona are both former Champions League winners and head into this much-anticipated showdown with seven points from their opening four games. This will be a crucial match as both teams aim to move up the standings with the aim of automatically advancing from the top eight to the last 16.
The star-studded club are in good form with Chelsea, buoyed by their recent three-game winning streak against Tottenham, Wolves and Burnley, and are closing in on top of the Premier League behind leaders Arsenal, while reigning La Liga champions Barcelona are once again battling arch-rivals Real Madrid for the domestic title.
Here’s what you need to know ahead of their epic showdown at Stamford Bridge.
What happened in Chelsea’s last Premier League game?
Chelsea beat lowly Burnley 2-0 on Saturday with goals from Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandes.
As a result, the Blues have overtaken Manchester City and moved into second place in the English Premier League (EPL) standings, behind leaders Arsenal.
Enzo Maresca’s side will take on the Gunners in a Premiership clash at Stamford Bridge next Sunday.
What happened in Barcelona’s last La Liga match?
Barcelona achieved a resounding 4-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao in their first home match at Camp Nou since May 2023 on Saturday.
Ferran Torres scored twice for Barça, with Robert Lewandowski and Fermin López also contributing.
Athletic lost midfielder Oyhan Sunset to a red card in the 54th minute after he was sent off for a rough taunt on Lopez.
Lewandowski, who scored the opening goal, said he would remember kicking the opener at the rebuilt Camp Nou stadium “forever”.
“Today was a special day not only for me but also for everyone, so I’m very happy to be able to return to the Camp Nou and score my first goal,” Lewandowski told Barça One.
“I have a lot of experience playing in different stadiums, but here there is something special. We did a great job today and won, so I’m very proud of myself and the team.”
What happened to both clubs in the last match of the UCL league phase?
Chelsea suffered a shock 2-2 draw against Azerbaijan’s Qarabag in their final match on November 5, but Barcelona fought back from a one-goal deficit against Club Brugge in Belgium and had to split the points with a 3-3 result.
Where do Chelsea and Barcelona sit in the UCL league phase standings?
Barcelona currently sit in 11th place in the UEFA League phase standings, with Chelsea just behind them in 12th place. Both teams have 2 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss in 4 games.
For a team to qualify directly for the Round of 16, they must finish in the top eight of the league phase standings. Clubs finishing 9th to 24th on the ladder will participate in a home and away play-off to advance to the last 16.
Where did Barcelona finish in last season’s Champions League?
The Catalan club were widely expected to reach the Champions League final, but were eliminated in the record-equalling semi-final second leg by Inter, who made a late comeback.
Barça’s López shows summer suitor Chelsea what he missed
Fermín López, 22, is not yet well-known outside Spain, but he is establishing himself as a regular starter for Hansi Flick’s side.
However, Chelsea are well aware of Lopez, having had a 40 million euro (approximately 4.6 billion yen) offer rejected by Barcelona in the summer. The attacking midfielder will be one of the main goal threats in Tuesday’s Champions League match.
Manager Flick was keen to keep López, while Barça were willing to sell him for a suitable price, which Chelsea fell short of.
“I’m sure he’ll stay, but I don’t know what will happen in the end. We’ll have to wait. I’ll be really happy when the market closes,” Flick said in August, and his wish finally came true.
Despite, or perhaps even because of, his development and obvious usefulness to Barça, he is an asset that the Catalan giants could cash in on.
If he shines at Stamford Bridge, it would be no surprise to see Chelsea’s interest in the midfielder reignited and his price rise further.
Form Guide: Last 5 matches
Chelsea: WLWWW (Premier League, latest results last)
Barcelona: WLWWW (La Liga, latest results last)
Matchup: Chelsea vs Barcelona
The two clubs have met 14 times so far, with both teams winning four times and ending in a draw six times.
The last time the two teams met was in the round of 16 of the Champions League in 2017-2018, with Barcelona advancing to the quarter-finals with a 4-1 aggregate win. Argentina superstar Lionel Messi stood out in the second leg of the night, scoring two goals, including his 100th UEFA Champions League goal.
chelsea team news
Maresca has already ruled out star midfielder Cole Palmer from Tuesday’s game against Barcelona, but the Chelsea manager hopes he can return to training this week as he continues to recover from a groin injury.
Repeat-injured Reece James was sent off at half-time in Saturday’s EPL game against Burnley, but Maresca says the Chelsea captain’s early finish was pre-planned and not the result of a new injury, and he is expected to be available for squad selection.
“The idea was to manage the lease,” Maresca said. “That’s why he played (only) 45 minutes. It was planned.
“It’s not easy. Personally, I’d like to see Reese continue, but we need to honor Reese.”
French centre-back Wesley Fofana, who was left out of the squad for the game against Burnley, is thought to be fit for the match against Barça.
Levi Colwill (knee), Dario Esgo (thigh) and Romeo Rabia (thigh) all remain sidelined for the Blues.
Candidates for Chelsea’s starting lineup
Sanchez (goalkeeper); James, Adarabioyo, Charova, Cucurella. Caicedo, Fernandez. Neto, Pedro and Garnacho. Delap
barcelona team news
On-loan Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford missed Barça’s 4-0 win over Bilbao on Saturday due to illness, but returned to the training pitch the next day, sparking rumors he could feature in Tuesday’s game against Chelsea.
First-choice goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen will miss this game as he continues to recover from a back injury. João Garcia will replace the German player.
Pedri (hamstring) and Gabi (knee) will not be available for the La Liga champions.
Dynamic winger Raphinha, who returned from a hamstring injury at the weekend, is likely to regain his starting place against the Blues.
Potential starter for Barcelona
J. Garcia (goalkeeper); Kunde, Araujo, Kvarsi, Balde. Casado, de Jong. Yamal, Lopez, Torres. lewandowski
