Chelsea vs Barcelona: UEFA Champions League – team news, start and lineups

Who: Chelsea vs Barcelona
What: League Phase, UEFA Champions League
Where: Stamford Bridge, London, UK
When: Tuesday astatine 8pm (20:00 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll person each the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 17:00 GMT successful beforehand of our unrecorded substance commentary stream.

Chelsea volition big Barcelona astatine Stamford Bridge connected Tuesday successful a hugely consequential Matchday 5 League Phase clash successful the UEFA Champions League (UCL).

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Chelsea and Barcelona, some erstwhile Champions League winners, caput into this highly anticipated showdown with an identical 7 points from their opening 4 fixtures, making this lucifer pivotal arsenic some sides purpose to ascent the standings successful hunt of automatic top-eight qualification into the last-16 of the competition.

The star-studded clubs are riding caller blistery streaks with Chelsea, bolstered by a trio of caller wins against Tottenham, Wolves and Burnley, closing successful connected the Premier League’s apical spot down table-topping Arsenal, portion reigning La Liga champions Barcelona are again competing with archrival Real Madrid for the home title.

Here is each to cognize earlier their epic clash astatine Stamford Bridge:

What happened successful Chelsea’s past Premier League match?

Goals from Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez earned Chelsea a 2-0 triumph astatine lowly Burnley connected Saturday.

The effect moved the Blues past Manchester City and into outright 2nd connected the English Premier League (EPL) array down leaders Arsenal.

Enzo Maresca’s broadside volition clash with the Gunners adjacent Sunday successful a top-of-the-table premiership showdown astatine Stamford Bridge.

What happened successful Barcelona’s past La Liga match?

Barcelona secured a ascendant 4-0 triumph implicit 10-man Athletic Bilbao connected Saturday successful their archetypal lucifer backmost astatine their location venue Nou Camp since May 2023.

Ferran Torres had 2 goals for Barca with Robert Lewandowski and Fermin Lopez besides adding to the scoresheet.

Athletic mislaid midfielder Oihan Sancet to a reddish paper successful the 54th infinitesimal aft helium was sent disconnected for a crude situation connected Lopez.

Lewandowski, who scored the opener, said helium volition retrieve kicking the archetypal extremity astatine the team’s rebuilt Nou Camp stadium “forever”.

“Today was a peculiar day, not lone for maine but for everyone. Because of this I’m precise blessed that I could people the archetypal goal, coming backmost to the Nou Camp,” Lewandowski told Barca One.

“I person truthful overmuch acquisition playing successful antithetic stadiums, but present is thing special. I’m precise arrogant of myself and besides of the squad due to the fact that we did a large occupation contiguous and we won.”

Lewandowski (#9) opened the scoring against Athletic Bilbao aft 4 minutes to get Barca’s inauguration enactment started astatine the Nou Camp aft 2 and a fractional years playing distant from their location stadium [Josep Lago/AFP]

What happened successful the past UCL League Phase lucifer for some clubs?

Chelsea were held to a daze 2-2 gully by Azerbaijan broadside Qarabag successful their past outing connected November 5, portion Barcelona had to rally from a extremity down and divided the points successful a 3-3 effect against Club Brugge successful Belgium.

Where bash Chelsea and Barcelona beryllium connected the UCL League Phase standings?

Barcelona are presently 11th connected the UEFA League Phase standings with Chelsea close down successful 12th position. Both sides person 2 wins, 1 gully and 1 nonaccomplishment from their 4 fixtures.

Teams request to decorativeness the League Phase standings successful a top-eight presumption to unafraid nonstop qualification into the circular of 16. Those clubs that decorativeness successful ladder positions 9-to-24 volition participate into a location and distant playoffs to scope the last-16.

Where did Barcelona decorativeness successful past season’s Champions League?

The Catalan nine were wide expected to scope the Champions League last but were eliminated by Inter, who staged a precocious comeback successful the 2nd limb of their record-equalling semifinal.

Barca’s Lopez showing summertime suitors Chelsea what they missed

Fermin Lopez, 22, is establishing himself arsenic a regular starter for manager Hansi Flick’s side, adjacent though extracurricular of Spain helium is not yet a household name.

Chelsea cognize plentifulness astir Lopez, though, having had a 40-million-euro ($46m) bid rebuffed by Barcelona successful the summer. In Tuesday’s Champions League fixture, the attacking midfielder volition beryllium 1 of their main extremity threats.

Flick was anxious to support Lopez, portion Barca were unfastened to selling him astatine the close price, which Chelsea did not reach.

“I’m convinced that helium volition stay, but successful the extremity I don’t cognize what happens. We person to wait. I americium truly blessed erstwhile the marketplace is closed,” said Flick successful August, yet getting his wish.

Despite his betterment and evident inferior for Barca – oregon possibly adjacent due to the fact that of it – helium is an plus the Catalan giants could currency in.

If helium shines astatine Stamford Bridge, it would beryllium nary astonishment to spot Chelsea’s involvement successful the midfielder reawaken and his terms tag emergence further.

Barcelona’s Spanish midfielder #16 Fermin Lopez is simply a rising prima successful La Liga [File: Lluis Gene/AFP]

Form guide: past 5 matches

Chelsea: W-L-W-W-W (Premier League, astir caller effect last)

Barcelona: W-L-W-W-W (La Liga, astir caller effect last)

Head-to-head: Chelsea-Barcelona

The 2 clubs person faced each different 14 times, with some teams winning 4 times portion six ended arsenic draws.

The sides past met astatine the circular of 16 successful the 2017-2018 Champions League with Barcelona progressing to the quarterfinals 4-1 connected aggregate. Argentinian superstar Lionel Messi was the standout successful the 2nd limb with 2 goals – including his 100th UEFA Champions League extremity – connected the night.

Barcelona’s Lionel Messi celebrates scoring his 100th UEFA Champions League extremity against Chelsea successful their UEFA Champions League last-16 2nd limb lucifer astatine the Nou Camp, Barcelona, Spain connected March 14, 2018 [Albert Gea/Reuters]

Chelsea’s squad news

Maresca has already ruled retired prima midfielder Cole Palmer from Tuesday’s Barcelona matchup, though the Chelsea manager is hopeful helium volition beryllium capable to instrumentality to grooming this week arsenic helium continues to retrieve from a groin injury.

Oft-injured Reece James was taken disconnected astatine halftime of Saturday’s EPL fixture astatine Burnley, but the Chelsea captain’s aboriginal decorativeness was preplanned and not the effect of a caller injury, according to Maresca, truthful helium is expected to beryllium disposable for squad selection.

“The thought was to negociate Reece,” said Maresca. “This is the crushed wherefore helium played 45 minutes [only]. It was planned.

“It’s not easy, due to the fact that maine personally, I would similar Reece to continue, but we request to support Reece.”

French centre-back Wesley Fofana, who was omitted from the matchday squad against Burnley, is believed to beryllium lucifer acceptable up of the Barca clash.

Levi Colwill (knee), Dario Essugo (thigh) and Romeo Lavia (thigh) each stay sidelined for the Blues.

Chelsea’s imaginable starting XI

Sanchez (Goalkeeper); James, Adarabioyo, Chalobah, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Neto, Pedro, Garnacho; Delap

Injured Chelsea prima Cole Palmer is adjacent to returning to the grooming transportation but volition miss this week’s important Barcelona and Arsenal fixtures [File: Jan Kruger/Getty Images]

Barcelona’s squad news

On-loan Manchester United guardant Marcus Rashford missed Barca’s 4-0 triumph implicit Bilbao connected Saturday with unwellness but was backmost connected the grooming transportation the pursuing day, prompting rumours that helium mightiness suit up against Chelsea connected Tuesday.

First-choice goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen volition miss the fixture arsenic helium continues to retrieve from a backmost issue. Joan Garcia volition basal successful for the German.

Pedri (hamstring) and Gavi (knee) are unavailable for the La Liga champions.

Dynamic winger Raphinha, who returned connected the play from a hamstring injury, is simply a beardown anticipation to regain his starting relation against the Blues.

Barcelona’s imaginable starting XI

J. Garcia (goalkeeper); Kounde, Araujo, Cubarsi, Balde; Casado, De Jong; Yamal, Lopez, Torres; Lewandowski

Barcelona’s Marcus Rashford, who is battling illness, mightiness inactive play successful Tuesday’s important Champions League lucifer against Chelsea astatine Stamford Bridge [File: Quique Garcia/EPA]