MX23RW : Wednesday, February 12 04:12:07| >> :120:35164:35164:

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:
Written by
Liam Apicella

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
1Liverpool23175156213556
2Arsenal24148249222750
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest24145540271347
4Chelsea24127547311643
5Manchester CityMan City24125748351341
6Newcastle UnitedNewcastle24125742291341
7Bournemouth24117641281340
8Aston Villa2410773437-337
9Fulham249963632436
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2481063538-334
11Brentford2494114242031
12Crystal Palace247982830-230
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd2485112834-629
14Tottenham HotspurSpurs24831348371127
15West Ham UnitedWest Ham2476112946-1727
16Everton236892328-526
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2454153452-1819
18Leicester CityLeicester2445152553-2817
19Ipswich TownIpswich2437142249-2716
20Southampton2423191854-369


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!