Chelsea take on Barcelona in the first leg of their Champions League Round of 16 tie at Stamford Bridge later this month, with the home side looking to give themselves an opportunity of making it through to the quarter finals with a positive result in front of their home fans. However, with their opponents currently dominating in the Spanish top-flight, it promises to be a tricky 90 minutes for the Premier League side.
Champions League – Chelsea v Barcelona – Stamford Bridge, London – Tuesday 20th February – 19:45 UK Time
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Draw Best Odd of: 5/2 at Skybet |
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Chelsea
FC BarcelonaMatch Preview
Reigning Premier League champions Chelsea meet Spanish giants Barcelona in the Champions League later this month, with managers Antonio Conte and Ernesto Valverde also going head-to-head in the first leg at Stamford Bridge. The duo have met a number of times in the competition over the years, with the likes of Eden Hazard and Lionel Messi hoping to ensure that it is their team which comes out on top this time around. For those still unsure of who to back, be sure to check out our top betting tip below. However, let’s first take a closer look at the two teams, starting with the home side.
Chelsea Team News & Form
Chelsea lost just once in six matches in order to finish second in Group C behind Roma, with the Premier League side scoring 16 goals in the process. Antonio Conte has some important decisions to make ahead of kick-off however, with Spanish international Alvaro Morata having struggled in recent weeks with both fitness and form. However, Eden Hazard is a player who can potentially be a constant threat to the Barcelona defence, while Pedro will be hoping to get one over on his old team over the two legs.
Barcelona Team News & Form
Barcelona scored a late equaliser against Espanyol to keep up their unbeaten run in La Liga, while the Spanish giants also failed to lose a single game in their Champions League Group D campaign. The attacking trio of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Philippe Coutinho could well line up at Stamford Bridge, while Ousmane Dembele will be looking to finally make his mark for Barcelona following his summer move from Dortmund.
Head to Head
The two teams have met 11 times in the past, with Chelsea having won four of such encounters to date, as well as registering five draws in this time. The last competitive clash between the two clubs came in a famous 2-2 draw at the Camp Nou, with Fernando Torres’ late goal sending Chelsea through to the next stage of the Champions League back in 2012.
Chelsea v Barcelona – Betting Odds and Predictions
Despite being the away team, their form so far this season means that it comes as little surprise that it is Barcelona who are the favourites for victory with the majority of bookmakers. The visitors can be backed at odds of 13/5 with bookmaker William Hill, while those looking to bet on a home win for Chelsea can take advantage of 12/5 odds from the same Ladbrokes.
Top Betting Tip Chelsea v Barcelona
However, our top betting tip for the match is to bet on both teams scoring during the 90 minutes in West London, which is available at odds of 7/10 with William Hill.