Chelsea FC hosts FC Barcelona in a “circle the date” kind of match on Tuesday night. On paper, this is certainly a mouth-watering fixture, and the overall highlight of the continental competiton schedule that evening. It is not the overall top fixture of the next round of UCL action though- that honor belongs to Bayern Munich at Arsenal FC, and don’t worry, we’ll preview that one eventually.
For now, let’s talk Blues versus Barca, two big money clubs that looked really good in getting Ws yesterday.
UCL Matchday 5 FYIs
FC Barcelona at Chelsea FC
Kickoff: 8pm local, Stamford Bridge, London, UK
Preview Material for Both Sides Team News Starting XI Predictions
UCL Standings: FC Barcelona 11th 7pts Chelsea FC 12th 7 pts
What is the strongest possible first team that Hansi Flick and Enzo Maresca could pick for this match? We think it looks like this, FWIW.
Starting XI Predictions
Barcelona
Joan Garcia; Jules Kounde, Ronald Araujo, Pau Cubarsi, Alejandro Balde; Frenkie De Jong, Marc Casado; Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Ferran Torres; Robert Lewandowski
Chelsea
Robert Sanchez; Reece James, Wesley Fofana, Trevoh Chalobah, Marc Cucurella; Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo; Alejandro Garnacho, Pedro Neto, Joao Pedro; Marc Guiu
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN.