MX23RW : Monday, November 25 05:40:58| >> :120:24563:24563:

Preview: Chelsea vs. Barcelona

Preview: Chelsea vs. Barcelona
© PA Photos
Chelsea will have to stop 61-goal Lionel Messi if they are to knock Barcelona out of the Champions League. Here, Sports Mole previews their chances of causing an upset against the reigning champions.

Many bookmakers have rated Barcelona as 1/5 favourites to knock Chelsea out of the Champions League and advance through to May's final with relative ease.

Barca have history in their favour, having won three out of their last four meetings with the Blues.

However, they may have to take to the field at Stamford Bridge without the services of midfielder Xavi, who is reportedly struggling with a muscular complaint.

Centre-back Gerard Pique is also thought to be rated as 50/50 with a thigh problem.

Chelsea also have injury concerns of their own, mainly over defender David Luiz. Should the Brazilian fail to recover from a leg injury, then Gary Cahill is expected to play alongside captain John Terry.

The English defensive duo will face Lionel Messi, who has 61 goals in all competitions this season.

Perhaps equally as worrying for the home side is the fact that they have lost their last three semi-finals against Spanish opposition in UEFA competitions.

Current form:

Chelsea: LDWWDW
Barcelona: DWWWWW

Possible lineups:

Chelsea: Cech; Ivanovic, Terry, Cahill, Cole; Essien, Ramires, Lampard; Mata, Drogba, Kalou

Barcelona: Valdes; Alves, Puyol, Mascherano, Adriano; Busquets, Iniesta, Fabregas; Sanchez, Pedro, Messi

Sports Mole says: 1-2

ID:23975: cacheID:23975:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:3164:

Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


Restore Data
Share this article now:
Frank Lampard
Read Next:
Lampard: 'Barca are beatable'
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool1210112481631
2Manchester CityMan City127232217523
3Chelsea126422314922
4Arsenal126422112922
5Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton126422116522
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs1261527131419
7Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest125431513219
8Aston Villa125431919019
9Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
10Fulham125341717018
11Brentford125252222017
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd124441313016
13Bournemouth124351617-115
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Everton122551017-711
16Leicester CityLeicester122461523-810
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves122372028-89
18Ipswich TownIpswich121651323-109
19Crystal Palace121561017-78
20Southampton121110924-154


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!