Monday, March 19
 

Premier League

How Chelsea could line up against Barcelona

Ahead of Chelsea's Champions League trip to Barcelona, Sports Mole looks at how Antonio Conte's side could line up at Camp Nou.

Antonio Conte will be looking to channel the spirit of his compatriot Roberto Di Matteo and the 2012 Champions League-winning Chelsea squad when his side travel to Camp Nou to take on Barcelona this evening.

The Blues memorably recorded a 2-2 draw at the home of the Spanish giants on their most recent visit to go through to the 2012 final on aggregate, where they subsequently beat Bayern Munich to lift the trophy for the first, and so far only, time.

Chelsea again have it all to do tonight courtesy of Lionel Messi's away goal at Stamford Bridge last month, leaving the Premier League champions needing a win or score draw to keep their quarter-final hopes alive.

Here, Sports Mole looks at how Chelsea could line up against Ernesto Valverde's side.


Conte described his side's performance in the first leg as "almost perfect", so he is unlikely to make many changes to his starting XI from that match at Stamford Bridge.

One area he may look to change is up front, though. Eden Hazard played as a false nine in the first leg and applied himself well, but he was ineffective in the same position against Manchester City recently and has openly spoken about his dislike for the role.

Instead, Conte could hand a second consecutive start to Olivier Giroud, who has not yet featured in the Champions League for Chelsea but was unfortunate not to open his Premier League account for the club against Crystal Palace at the weekend.

Former Real Madrid striker Alvaro Morata is out of favour and seemingly not trusted in the big games anymore, which could provide Giroud with the chance to nail down a starting spot with a good performance at Camp Nou.

That would see Hazard drop back to his preferred wide role and former Barca man Pedro is the most likely to drop out considering Willian's recent form - which includes the opening goal in the first leg of this tie.

Victor Moses should return at right wing-back after being rested at the weekend, while Conte is also likely to keep faith with Andreas Christensen despite the youngster's recent form coming under scrutiny.

Antonio Rudiger missed the Palace game with muscle fatigue, but Conte hinted that he will be available for tonight's match and, if so, he is expected to replace Gary Cahill in the side.



Read Sports Mole's full preview of tonight's match by clicking here.

Share this article now:
Read Next:
Combined XI: Barcelona vs. Chelsea
>

Subscribe to our Newsletter


Transfer Talk Daily
Match previews - twice weekly
Morning Briefing (7am UTC)
Get the latest transfer news, match previews and news direct to your inbox!
Loading ...
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Manchester CityMan City30263185206581
2Manchester UnitedMan Utd30205558233565
3Liverpool31189473343963
4Tottenham HotspurSpurs30187559253461
5Chelsea30175852272556
6Arsenal301461055411448
7Burnley30111092726143
8Leicester CityLeicester301010104543240
9Everton31117133750-1340
10Bournemouth3199133749-1236
11Watford31106153955-1636
12Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton30810122840-1234
13Newcastle UnitedNewcastle3088143040-1032
14Swansea CitySwansea3087152542-1731
15Huddersfield TownHuddersfield3187162552-2731
16Crystal Palace3179153048-1830
17West Ham UnitedWest Ham3079143657-2130
18Southampton30513122944-1528
19Stoke CityStoke3169162958-2927
20West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom31311172449-2520
Scroll for more - Tap for full version

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

Select and display your favourite team's news and scores in this panel

Subscribe to our Newsletter


Transfer Talk Daily
Match previews - twice weekly
Morning Briefing (7am UTC)
Get the latest transfer news, match previews and news direct to your inbox!
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Manchester CityMan City30263185206581
2Manchester UnitedMan Utd30205558233565
3Liverpool31189473343963
4Tottenham HotspurSpurs30187559253461
5Chelsea30175852272556
6Arsenal301461055411448
7Burnley30111092726143
8Leicester CityLeicester301010104543240
9Everton31117133750-1340
10Bournemouth3199133749-1236
11Watford31106153955-1636
12Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton30810122840-1234
13Newcastle UnitedNewcastle3088143040-1032
14Swansea CitySwansea3087152542-1731
15Huddersfield TownHuddersfield3187162552-2731
16Crystal Palace3179153048-1830
17West Ham UnitedWest Ham3079143657-2130
18Southampton30513122944-1528
19Stoke CityStoke3169162958-2927
20West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom31311172449-2520
Scroll for more - Tap for full version

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

Select and display your favourite team's news and scores in this panel

Login, I already have my ad-free pass
Log in with Facebook to customise Sports Mole
Buy ad-free access (show me the options)
Buy monthly ad-free access for £1.20/month
Buy yearly ad-free access for £12 (2 months free)
Settings - Logout - Manage your account
Settings - Logout - Manage your account
This site uses cookies for Analytics. Click to accept and dismiss this message.