Chelsea vs Barcelona betting tips
- Draw and both teams to score – 16/5 Ladbrokes
- Ferran Torres to score or assist – 1/1 Bet365
Chelsea host FC Barcelona in the Champions League this evening, with Enzo Maresca’s side looking for a win over the Spanish champions that would power them towards the knockout rounds (8pm, Prime Video).
The Blues begin the week in 12th in the league phase table, just two points outside the automatic qualification places, though a win against the LaLiga giants would put them in a solid position ahead of their final three league fixtures against Pafos, Atalanta and Napoli.
The win over Burnley at the weekend also took the Blues into second place in the Premier League, and while most would stop short of saying they’re in the title race, things are certainly looking up for Maresca and co at present.
However, the visit of Barcelona to Stamford Bridge presents one of the toughest tests of the season for the Londonders, who have previously faltered against the likes of Bayern Munich, Manchester United and more recently Qarabag.
Barca currently sit second in LaLiga behind Real Madrid, but while recent results include an El Clasico loss to their arch rivals as well as a 3-3 draw against Club Brugge last time out in Europe, the Blaugrana still possess more than enough talent to win any given match comfortably.
Nevertheless, it’s the hosts who enter the match as favourites, with betting sites offering early Champions League odds of 5/4 for a home win versus 9/5 for an away victory.
Chelsea vs Barcelona preview: All square at the Bridge
Chelsea have had a fairly mixed season in terms of performances but their recent results have been encouraging, and the win over Burnley took the Blues to second in the Premier League, albeit six points behind leaders Arsenal.
It may be a little soon to say Maresca’s men can launch a title challenge this term, but they return to the Champions League with a chance to put one foot in the next round with what would be by far their biggest win of the season, and the match against Barca this evening will be seen as a real litmus test of where the club are at the moment.
Chelsea are perhaps surprise favourites given that they have struggled against sides including Bayern and Man United, though Barcelona have had some struggles of their own at times this season, and the reality is that both sides are capable of superb performances as well as surprising collapses.
Nevertheless, the visitors arrive in the capital among the favourites on football betting sites to win the Champions League having come within a whisker of reaching the final last season.
Barca have won three, drawn one and lost one of their last five matches in all competitions, with that sole loss coming against Real Madrid at the end of last month, while Chelsea have won four and drawn one of their last five outings, though they’ve faced Wolves twice, Burnley and Qarabag in that run, considerably easier fixtures than Barca.
That draw with Qarabag – with an admittedly weaker starting XI – showed that the Blues can concede sloppy goals, while losses to Bayern and United illustrated that they can struggle against more gifted attacks.
Nevertheless, Barca have conceded eight times over their last five games, including three times to Club Brugge and twice to Celta Vigo, so we can expect goals from both sides at the Bridge.
With that in mind, we think it’s very difficult to predict a winner here and are tempted by the price on a score draw on betting apps.
Chelsea vs Barcelona prediction 1: Draw and both teams to score – 16/5 Ladbrokes
Chelsea vs Barcelona best bets: Torres to feature for visitors
Former Manchester City forward Ferran Torres has enjoyed mixed fortune since joining Barcelona, but he has recently emerged as one of the club’s key forwards, scoring 19 goals as they won the double in 2024/25.
The Spaniard has hit the ground running this season too, continuing that positive form with nine goals and one assist across 15 appearances.
That includes four goals in his last three matches, including two last time out against Bilbao as the club returned to the Nou Camp for the first time in 909 days.
With Marcus Rashford coming back from a spell on the sidelines, Torres could find himself used anywhere across the forward line at Stamford Bridge, and given his current run of form and importance to the side, we think a wager on the Spaniard to score or assist presents decent value.
Chelsea vs Barcelona prediction 2: Ferran Torres to score or assist – 1/1 Bet365
Chelsea vs Barcelona team news
Chelsea: Cole Palmer remains the main absentee for the Blues, with the talisman having broken his toe. He has returned to training but is unlikely to feature on Tuesday. Romeo Lavia is also out after suffering a thigh injury, while Dario Essugo and Levi Colwill are both long-term abstentees.
Barcelona: Key midfield pairing Pedri and Gavi remain out for the visitors, with the former unavailable until next month and his compatriot expected back early next year.
Alejandro Balde will be assessed after coming off in the win over Bilbao, while Marcus Rashford has been passed fit after missing that match.
Chelsea vs Barcelona predicted line-ups
Chelsea XI: Sanchez; James, Chalobah, Tosin, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Neto, Pedro, Gittens; Delap.
Barcelona XI: Garcia; Kounde, Cubarsi, Garcia, Balde; Lopez, Olmo, Torres; Yamal, Lewandowski, Raphinha.
Free Champions League bets
Betfred are refunding all losing bet builders for this week’s round of Champions League with bettors entitled to £10 in free bets if their wager doesn’t win.
Head to Betfred’s promotion page and opt in to the Football bet builder offer before visiting the bet builder tab for one of Tuesday or Wednesday’s UCL matches. Punters must build their own bet builder, consisting of a minimum of three legs and combined odds of 3/1 or bigger.
If your bet builder wins, Betfred will pay out as usual. But if the bet builder comes up short, Betfred will refund all losing stakes in free bets, up to a maximum refund of £10.
Any free bets awarded can only be used on bet builders.
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