Chelsea and Barcelona replenish rivalry
One of European football’s many fast new rivalries will be rekindled after roughly 6 years as Chelsea FC acquire FC Barcelona for a initial leg of their spin of 16 tie.
• The teams have met 12 times, all in a UEFA Champions League – and all given 2000. Furthermore, 5 of those contests have been knockout ties, and all have valid compelling.
• This is their third spin of 16 tie, with Barcelona behest to strech a quarter-finals for a record-extending 11th year in a row. Chelsea, meanwhile, have progressed over a spin of 16 usually once in a final 5 seasons, and were beaten in their dual many new ties during this stage.
• This tie is one of dual in this season’s spin of 16 to move together dual former European champions: FC Porto’s assembly with Liverpool FC is a other.
Previous meetings
• The teams have faced any other 12 times in UEFA foe with 4 Chelsea wins to 3 for Barça and 5 draws.
• Chelsea came out on tip when a teams final crossed paths, in a 2011/12 semi-finals. Didier Drogba scored a usually idea of a initial leg in west London.
• The teams during Stamford Bridge on 18 Apr 2012 were:
Chelsea: Čech, Ivanović, Cahill, Terry, Cole, Mikel, Meireles, Lampard, Mata (Kalou 74), Ramires (Bosingwa 88), Drogba.
Barcelona: Valdés, Alves, Puyol, Mascherano, Adriano, Busquets, Xavi (Cuenca 87), Iniesta, Fà bregas (Thiago 78), Messi, Alexis Sánchez (Pedro 66).
• Barcelona looked to have incited a tie spin when Sergio Busquets leveled on total 35 mins into a second leg, dual mins before Chelsea captain John Terry was sent off, with Andrés Iniesta putting a Spanish side in front on total dual mins before a break. A notation into first-half added-time, however, Ramires chipped Chelsea behind into a foe and – after Lionel Messi had crushed a 49th-minute chastisement opposite a crossbar – surrogate Fernando Torres pennyless transparent in combined time to endorse Chelsea’s place in a final, where they would better FC Bayern München to win a initial UEFA Champions League.Â
• Cesc Fà bregas and Pedro RodrÃguez, both now Chelsea players, featured for Barcelona in that tie.
• It was another night of high play in their assembly during Stamford Bridge on 6 May 2009. After a goalless initial leg in a semi-final, Michael Essien gave Chelsea a ninth-minute lead in a lapse and Barcelona afterwards mislaid Éric Abidal to a red card. However, Andrés Iniesta’s added-time equaliser sent a Spanish side through.
• The line-ups that night were:
Chelsea: ÄŒech, Bosingwa, Alex, Terry, Cole, Lampard, Essien, Ballack, Anelka, Drogba (Belletti 72), Malouda.
Barcelona: Valdés, Alves, Touré, Piqué, Abidal, Busquets (Bojan 85), Xavi, Keita, Messi, Eto’o (Sylvinho 90), Iniesta (Gudjohnsen 90).
• Barcelona have won 3 of a clubs’ 5 prior two-legged contests in a UEFA Champions League, nonetheless in their spin of 16 meetings it is one delight apiece. Barcelona were 3-2 total winners during this theatre in their 2005/06 title-winning debate (2-1 away, 1-1 home) though Chelsea had prevailed 12 months earlier, branch spin a 2-1 Camp Nou better with a 4-2 success during Stamford Bridge.
• Chelsea available a 3-1 home first-leg win in a 1999/2000 quarter-final, though succumbed 5-1 after additional time in a Camp Nou return.
• They were also interconnected together in a 2006/07 organisation stage, Chelsea winning 1-0 in London before a 2-2 pull in Spain.
Match background
Chelsea
• The London club’s record in a spin of 16 is W8 L4. They mislaid during this theatre to Paris Saint-Germain in both 2014/15 and 2015/16.
• This is usually a third time Chelsea have been during home in a initial leg of their spin of 16 tie; their stream record is W1 L1, both in that home initial diversion and in those ties overall.
• Chelsea have played 10 two-legged knockout ties opposite Spanish clubs (W4 L6), many recently in a 2013/14 UEFA Champions League semi-finals when they mislaid 3-1 in a home second leg, and overall, to Club Atlético de Madrid.
• Chelsea have already faced Spanish antithesis in this season’s competition, holding 4 points from their dual Group C games opposite Atlético.
• The 2-1 feat during Atlético on matchday dual is a Blues’ usually success in their final 6 fixtures opposite Liga clubs, home and divided (D3 L2).
• Antonio Conte’s side collected 5 points during home in Group C, opening with a 6-0 better of QarabaÄŸ FK before being hold to a 3-3 pull by AS Roma on matchday three and final with a 1-1 pull opposite Atlético.
• The Blues have a record of W9 D5 L2 during home to Spanish visitors. The solitary defeats were that Atlético retreat in 2014 and a 2-1 detriment opposite Barcelona in a 2005/06 spin of 16 initial leg (2-3 aggregate).
• Champions of England for a sixth time in 2016/17, Chelsea were not concerned in European foe final tenure for a initial time given 1996/97. They had seemed in each UEFA Champions League organisation theatre going behind to 2003/04.
• The Stamford Bridge side mislaid 2-1 during home to Paris in a 2016 spin of 16, their solitary better in their final 11 European matches in west London (W6 D4).
Barcelona
• Barcelona have been in a spin of 16 each year from 2004/05 onwards, winning 11 of those 13 ties. Both defeats came opposite English antithesis – that 2005 detriment to Chelsea, and an away-goals retreat opposite Liverpool dual years after (1-2 home, 1-0 away).
• Twelve months ago, Luis Enrique’s side constructed a biggest quip in UEFA Champions League story to win their spin of 16 tie. Barça looked to be streamer out when they mislaid a initial leg 4-0 during Paris Saint-Germain, usually for a overwhelming 6-1 second-leg success to spin a tie on a head.
• The Blaugrana’s final outing to England was a 3-1 better during Manchester City FC in final season’s organisation theatre – a outcome that finished a three-game winning run divided to Premier League clubs.
• Barcelona’s record in divided games opposite English antithesis is W9 D8 L15.
• This deteriorate a Spanish side picked adult 5 points on their travels in finishing tip of Group D, winning 1-0 during Sporting Clube de Portugal on matchday two before 0-0 draws during both Olympiacos and Juventus on matchday five.
• Barcelona have mislaid 3 of their final 7 divided games in a UEFA Champions League, including a 4-0 better during Paris in final season’s spin of 16 initial leg and a eventually essential 3-0 quarter-final first-leg detriment during Juve, bowing out by a same total score. They have won 5 of their final 14 divided matches in a competition, sketch 4 and losing five.
• Barcelona have won 13 of their 23 two-legged ties with English clubs, losing ten. That 2012 better by Chelsea is a usually retreat in their final 7 contests.
Coach and actor links
• Antonio Conte was an new surrogate in both legs of Juventus’ UEFA Champions League quarter-final win opposite Barcelona in 2002/03.
• Fà bregas and Pedro both came by a girl ranks during Barcelona. Fà bregas over for Arsenal FC in 2003 though returned to a Camp Nou 8 years later, scoring 28 goals in 96 fasten appearances – winning a UEFA Super Cup in 2011, a Copa del Rey in 2012 and a Liga a following year – before fasten Chelsea in 2014.
• Pedro was partial of a Barcelona side that won a UEFA Champions League in 2009, 2011 – when he non-stop a scoring in a final opposite Manchester United FC – and 2015. He also carried 3 UEFA Super Cups, dual FIFA Club World Cups, 5 fasten titles and 3 Copa del Rey titles with a Catalan club, scoring 58 goals in 204 Liga appearances between 2008 and fasten Chelsea in 2015.
• Have played in England:
Thomas Vermaelen (Arsenal FC 2009–14)
Luis Suárez (Liverpool FC 2011–14)
Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool FC 2013–18)
Gerard Piqué (Manchester United FC 2004–06 2007/08)
Paulinho (Tottenham Hotspur FC 2013–15)
Javier Mascherano (West Ham United FC 2006/07, Liverpool FC 2007–10)
Gerard Deulofeu (Everton FC 2013/14 2015–16)
• Have played in Spain:
Thibaut Courtois (Club Atlético de Madrid 2011–14)
Ãlvaro Morata (Real Madrid CF 2010–14 2016/17)
César Azpilicueta (CA Osasuna 2006–10)
Marcos Alonso (Real Madrid Castilla 2008–10, Real Madrid CF 2010)
Willy Caballero (Elche CF 2004–06 2006–11; Málaga CF 2011–14)
• Suárez scored twice in his 6 games opposite Chelsea for Liverpool (W2 D2 L2).
• Mascherano was in a Liverpool group who kick Chelsea on penalties in a 2007 UEFA Champions League semi-final.
• Courtois faced Barcelona 10 times while with Atlético Madrid in Spain (W1 D5 L4). The usually feat came in a 2014 UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg as Atlético went on to strech a final.
• Morata scored for Juventus in their 2015 UEFA Champions League final detriment to Barcelona in Berlin.
• Have played together:
David Luiz Lucas Digne (Paris Saint-Germain 2014–15)
• International team-mates:
Ãlvaro Morata, César Azpilicueta, Pedro RodrÃguez, Cesc Fà bregas, Marcos Alonso Gerard Piqué, Jordi Alba, Denis Suárez, Sergio Busquets, Sergi Roberto, Andrés Iniesta, Deulofeu, Paco Alcácer (Spain)
Eden Hazard, Thibaut Courtois, Michy Batshuayi Thomas Vermaelen (Belgium)
Tiémoué Bakayoko, N’Golo Kanté Lucas Digne, Ousmane Dembélé, Samuel Umtiti (France)
David Luiz, Willian Rafinha, Paulinho (Brazil)
Antonio Rüdiger Marc-André ter Stegen (Germany)