Chelsea vs FC Barcelona Preview, Prediction, Lineups, Injuries and Team News

It's matchday five of the UEFA Champions League, as the Blues will welcome the Catalan giants FC Barcelona to the iconic Stamford Bridge. Both teams have the same number of points in the Champions League are are sitting just next to each other in the points table. Both teams have met a lot of times in the past in the same competition, and this fixture has always given us a lot of thrill and excitement.

Chelsea vs FC Barcelona Preview

The Blues are sitting at the second spot in the Premier League, but at are still six points behind their rival Arsenal, and are in decent form. As in the Champions League, in four matches so far, they have won twice, drawn once and lost once. With seven points on the table, they are sitting in 12th position. Maresca and his boys will have a great chance on Wednesday to get three points, as they will use their home advantage to put pressure on Barcelona, and the Catalan club's record at Stamford Bridge is not that good recently. Pedro Neto will be crucial in the absence of Palmer, as in 16 matches, he has scored four goals and provided two assists. Despite missing some key players due to injury, the Blues will be confident of getting a win against a strong opposition.

On the other hand, the Catalan side has been very poor defensively so far in the Champions League. Against Club Brugge, they were brutally exposed, but somehow managed to get a draw. Hansi Flick's side has been poor defensively, especially away from home, and when they take on Chelsea, things will be much more difficult, as the Blues' attacking power is immense. In four games, they have won twice, drawn once and lost one match, with seven points on the table, they are sitting at 11th place. The Polish striker Robert Lewandowski, despite missing matches due to injuries, has performed quite well, as in 13 matches he has scored eight goals so far, and will be a big threat to the Blues' defence. This will be a mouthwatering clash.

Chelsea vs FC Barcelona Match Info

Match Name: Chelsea vs FC Barcelona, UEFA Champions League

Stadium Name: Stamford Bridge

Kick-Off Time: 08:00 PM GMT

Chelsea FC Team News

The Blues will have several players due to injuries. Romeo Lavia, Cole Palmer, Dario Essugo, and Levi Colwill are all injured. Reece James came off at half-time against Burnley, but there isn't any major issue for him. The rest of the squad is fully fit to play against the Spanish giants.

With that being said, here we now look at Chelsea vs Barcelona Predicted Lineups as part of the Chelsea vs FC Barcelona Preview.

Chelsea Expected Line-Up (4-2-3-1):

Goalkeeper: Sanchez

Defenders: James, Adarabioyo, Chalobah, Cucurella

Midfielders: Caicedo, Fernandez, Neto, Pedro, Garnacho

Forwards: Delap

FC Barcelona Team News

The England international Marcus Rashford is doubtful due to illness, having missed the last match. Raphinha returned to action after being out for several weeks. Pedri, Gavi, and Ter Stegen are still out due to injuries. The rest of the players are fit to play against the Blues.

FC Barcelona Expected Line-Up (4-3-2-1):

Goalkeeper: Joan Garcia

Defenders: Kounde, Araujo, Cubarsi, Balde

Midfielders: Garcia, De Jong, Lopez

Forwards: Yamal, Torres, Lewandowski

Chelsea vs FC Barcelona Injuries

Let's see which players might miss the Chelsea vs FC Barcelona due to injury issues. The Blues' star player, Cole Palmer, injured his Groin, but recently he also fractured his toe and will be out for a couple of weeks.

The Catalan giants will miss some players due to injuries. Here is the list of those players who will miss the clash against the Blues.

Sportsdunia's Chelsea vs FC Barcelona Prediction

Both teams started well after the international break and have faced each other several times in the past. These two teams' style of play is very similar, and we can expect a very exciting fixture, as both teams like to score a lot of goals and have some great attacking players.

But the Blues have performed quite well against the Catalan side in the last few games, and surely, due to their home advantage, they are the favourites to win this fixture. Most probably, the home team will win this fixture.

Predicted Score: Chelsea 4-3 FC Barcelona