Chelsea v Barcelona: Line-ups, stats and preview

Preview for Chelsea v Barcelona

Robert Lewandowski is just one player Chelsea have to try to stop tomorrow when Barcelona visit Stamford Bridge in the Champions League, according to Blues boss Enzo Maresca.

The veteran Poland international opened the scoring for Barca in Saturday’s 4-0 hammering of Athletic Bilbao at the revamped Camp Nou to take his tally to eight goals in 10 La Liga appearances this season.

Lewandowski may be 37 years old but he has lost none of the predatory instincts that have made him one of Europe’s leading strikers over the past 15 years.

Maresca said: “For sure, he is a fantastic player, he showed all his life that he does the most important thing in football, which is scoring goals. We are going to try our best to defend him, which is by being aggressive.”

He isn’t Barca’s only threat, however.

“It’s Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal, Fermin Lopez, Frenkie de Jong, they have so many players, but at the same time we have so many players that can try to win the game,” added the Chelsea boss.

The clash with the defending Spanish champions begins a crucial few days for Chelsea, who host Premier League leaders Arsenal on Sunday.

“It’s a big week, but at the end of this week, then we have Leeds away, Bournemouth away, Atalanta away, so it’s another big week. It’s always a big week, they are all important games, but at the end, it’s all three points,” said former Leicester boss Maresca.

“There are games like Barcelona tomorrow and Arsenal on Sunday that are important for different reasons. But the best thing for us is to go game by game.”

One key battle tomorrow night will be between Spain team-mates Marc Cucurella and Lamine Yamal.

Chelsea defender Cucurella, who started his career with Barcelona B, is a huge fan of the 18-year-old Barca star.

“He is a very special player for his age,” said the left-back. “He will have low moments because he is very young but he plays at a very high level and tomorrow will be a tough game.”

Team News for Chelsea v Barcelona

Chelsea will be without Cole Palmer once again as he continues to nurse the toe injury he sustained at home. Moises Caicedo and Willian Estevao remained on the bench for the 2-0 win at Burnley on Saturday but will come back into the starting XI.

There was mixed news for Barca. Midfield lynchpin Pedri is definitely out but Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Balde and Frenkie de Jong are available.

Rashford missed the Athletic game due to a heavy cold, Balde received a blow to the head in the same game while De Jong was suspended.

Raphinha could return after making his comeback at the weekend.

Predicted line-ups for Chelsea v Barcelona

Chelsea: Sanchez; James, Adarabioyo, Chalobah, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez, Estevao, Gittens, Neto; Pedro

Barcelona: Joan Garcia; Kounde, Cubarsi, Araujo, Balde; De Jong, Olmo, Yamal, Fermin, Raphinha; Lewandowski

How to watch Chelsea v Barcelona: TV and online streams

Chelsea versus Barcelona kicks off tomorrow night at 8pm UK time. You can watch it in the UK on Amazon Prime and stream it on the Amazon Prime Video app.

It is available via local Champions League rights holders in other countries, including the United States.

Stats for Chelsea v Barcelona

• Chelsea have only lost one of their last nine meetings with Barcelona in the Champions League
• Since 2013-14, Barcelona have only lost two of their nine away games against English sides in the Champions League (W6 D1)
• English teams have won nine of their last 10 games against Spanish sides in the Champions League (L1), with the only exception being Barcelona’s 2-1 win at Newcastle in September