Chelsea have endured a poor campaign so far. The defending Premier League champions are produced a rather limp title defence, while they struggled through to the last 16 of the Champions League. However, Catalan giants Barcelona threaten their continued participation in the competition. The last 16 draw was a nightmare one for Antonio Conte’s side. A 1-1 draw in the first leg at Stamford Bridge makes the tie finely balanced, with the second leg on Wednesday night at the Nou Camp. Formidable home record It would be finely balanced but for the home sides formidable record on home soil in the competition in the last few seasons. The Blaugrana are 24 games unbeaten at the Nou Camp in the Champions League, having recorded 22 victories in the process. Add in the fact that the Catalan giants have also scored at least twice in 20 of those home games, Chelsea’s prospects in Europe’s elite competition are not that bright. Barcelona have the added bonus of a rested Lionel Messi, as the Argentinian missed the weekend trip to Malaga due to the birth of his third child. Unbeaten in nine games against Barcelona There is one big positive for Chelsea heading into this game, in that the Blues are nine games unbeaten against the home side in all competitions. For all of Barcelona’s recent dominance in the Champions League, they have found the team from the English capital difficult to beat. On their last visit to the Nou Camp back in 2012, the Blues managed a 2-2 draw, which would be a result good enough to take Conte’s side through to the last eight. Unbeaten run set to go Unfortunately, for Chelsea, it is hard to see the Blues avoiding defeat in this clash. The visitors have surprised people before in the Champions League, but at the moment Barcelona at the Nou Camp are just such formidable performers. Can Chelsea beat the odds to make the last eight of the Champions League?
The Sad Story of Michael Johnson
Mon May 10 , 2021
It is a sad reality of football that players get released from their contracts. This happens on a regular basis and for a variety of reasons. The vast majority of these names pass way under the radar, usually consigned to nothing more than a line or two on the club […]