The forgotten Chelsea vs Barcelona clash at Stamford Bridge where Blues were ‘close to perfect’
Chelsea have a long and memorable history with Barcelona in the Champions League, as the Blues prepare to write another chapter on Tuesday night at Stamford Bridge.
Enzo Maresca will lead his side into battle knowing a win is crucial to keep up their hopes of finishing in the top eight of the group stages.
Cole Palmer is not set to be fit to face Barcelona, however the boss has protected Moises Caicedo and Estevao Willian to be at full fitness.
Will Chelsea beat Barcelona in the Champions League?
When looking through the archives, no tie will stand out more to Blues fans than the semi-final victory over the Spaniards in 2012, where Fernando Torres scored in the dying moments to seal the deal.
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The forgotten Chelsea vs Barcelona clash in 2018
The most recent meeting between the two sides ended in defeat for Chelsea, however the first leg of that Round of 16 tie is a showing many have forgotten about.
What the big names have said in the past about Chelsea vs Barcelona
“There are players here who hate Chelsea more than Real Madrid. I never thought I would hear myself say that. I also never thought I would see something worse than the Boca and River Plate rivalry or Brazil v Argentina – but this is. We would rather play Arsenal, Manchester United or anyone else than be on the pitch with Chelsea.”
Lionel Messi
“I thought this could be the worst night of my footballing life, I was thinking towards double figures, I spent the first 20 minutes getting nowhere near Xavi and Iniesta”
Frank Lampard
“I always say this Barcelona team was the best of my generation, one team was capable of matching them in this era and that was us.”
John Terry
Antonio Conte’s side welcomed Barcelona at a time where it had already become clear they were not going to retain their Premier League trophy, and their hopes fell on the Champions League to save his job.
The Blues had pushed and pushed for an opening goal, completely dominating proceedings. Willian hit the woodwork twice, before his third long-range effort found the net.
All of Chelsea’s hard work came undone though as they allowed Lionel Messi to score late on, his first goal against the club he hated facing.
They were not able to repeat the heroics in the second leg, falling to a 3-0 defeat at the Nou Camp, and that result often leaves this display underrated.
Photo by MB Media/Getty Images
Chelsea were ‘close to perfect’ against Barcelona in 2018
Antonio Conte set his Chelsea side up brilliantly to face Barcelona, and stated after the game his side produced an almost perfect display.
He said to BBC Sport: “I think we were close to playing the perfect performance. We did one mistake but we know very well against these opponents and players like Messi, Iniesta and Suarez, if you make a mistake you pay.
“It is a pity and we are disappointed with the final result.”
The Chelsea side had Thibaut Courtois in goal, with Andreas Christensen, Antonio Rudiger and Cesar Azpilicueta in a back three.
Marcos Alonso and Victor Moses were the wing-backs, with a midfield pairing of N’golo Kante and Cesc Fabregas up against his former side.
Conte went without a striker, naming a front three of Eden Hazard, Willian and Pedro.
