Good day, everyone, and welcome to my blog. It's UEFA Champions League week again, and this time, we're in for some interesting fixtures. One of the most talked-about fixtures when the league phase draw was completed was Chelsea vs FC Barcelona. There was no news last season; both fan bases were hoping this fixture would be a reality, as they believe one team is superior to the other, and as a Barcelona fan, I agree that Barcelona will take on Chelsea comfortably and win the match.
The Chelsea fanbase has bragged about how their team will be able to beat Barcelona's high-line defence since last season as they have key players that will be able to break through the high-line. It was funny hearing what the Chelsea fanbase said, but today their team has the opportunity to prove them right at Stamford Bridge this evening. Today's match will be one of the most talked-about fixtures before and after the match, plus I can't wait to hear what the Chelsea fanbase will say if they lose this match today.
FC Barcelona will be missing one key player in this fixture which is Pedri. The Spanish midfielder has been out for some weeks now and some media outlets have said that Pedri will be available for the game against Chelsea today, but that is not the case as he has not been given a medical green light and he didn't travel with the rest of the team to London for the match against Chelsea. It pains me that Pedri won't be available as the comparison Chelsea fans have been having between him and Caicado just doesn't sit right, as comparing a more technical player in the midfield to a player who relies mainly on physical strength is just absurd.
FC Barcelona have gotten some good news over the week as Raphinha, Joan Garcia, and Lewandowski are all fit and will play in today's match. Raphinha and Lamine Yamal's connection is one thing that Chelsea needs to worry about and if we are being honest, Chelsea's defence is nothing to write home about, but they will be relying on Cucurella to hold Lamine Yamal off in the right wing section, but in reality, we will be seeing 2-3 players surrounding the youngster when he gets the ball, but trust Lamine to give a good performance this evening.
It's going to be an interesting match as both sides have an equal chance of winning, and again, Chelsea has that home advantage up its sleeve. The starting lineup is what I can't wait to see from Barcelona end as to how Hansi Flick will set the midfield and who will start on the left wing between Marcus Rashford and Raphinha tonight. The two players have their own initial qualities, plus Rashford has been holding down since Raphinha got injured for some weeks. It will be interesting to see what Hansi Flick has planned out today. So, guys, that will be all for now. Thanks for stopping by and have a good day.