Chelsea knows it has its work cut out for it. The Blues are behind the eight-ball heading into their matchup with Barcelona. They cannot sit back and hope to hold Barcelona scoreless after a 1-1 draw in Stamford Bridge, and now must score in one of the most difficult venues in all of soccer.
Barcelona has made it to the Champions League quarterfinals for 10 straight seasons and is looking to make it 11 by getting past Chelsea here. The club has a great chance to win the treble this year and will look to make the most of all their chances.
Don't miss the Champions League action from Camp Nou at 3:45 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 14, 2018. Catch every moment of the match live on FS1.
Champions League Betting Odds at BookMaker.eu
Chelsea +612
Barcelona -263
Draw +363
Over/Under 3
Odds Analysis
Barcelona has been phenomenal this season. The leaders of La Liga have yet to lose a match in domestic play and are set to play for the Copa del Rey in April. They were absolutely splendid in the Champions League Group Stage and are worthy of being a heavy favorite in this game.
Things haven’t gone well for Antonio Conte and Chelsea of late. His side has dropped four of their last five in the Premier League, with the lone win coming against cellar dweller West Brom. Losses to Manchester City and Manchester United were logical, but losing to two teams in the bottom half of the table shows that this team is not at its best right now.
Last Meeting
As much as Chelsea has struggled lately, the Blues were the better side for much of the first leg of this tie. Chelsea had a surprising amount of possession against Barcelona, and the club got some superb play out of Willian. Willian looked like a player out to prove that he was one of the best in the world against the side he is rumored to join in the offseason. He created great opportunities for himself and struck the post twice in the first half.
In the 62nd minute, Willian broke through with a sensational goal. He curled a strike past Barcelona’s keeper and put the home side up 1-0 to the roar of the crowd at Stamford Bridge.
It looked like Chelsea might come away with the victory, but a poor pass from Andreas Christensen led to a turnover deep in Chelsea’s zone. The ball found its way to Lionel Messi who scored for the first time in nine games against Chelsea, leveling the game at one.
Injuries to Watch
Barcelona has quite a bit to worry about on the injury front heading into this match. It was just announced yesterday that midfielder Denis Suarez will miss the match due to an abdominal injury. Suarez was seen as an insurance policy in case Andres Iniesta is unable to go, and not having him is huge. Iniesta is considered questionable with a hamstring injury, and if he doesn’t play, Barcelona will have to shift its lineup around.
As for Chelsea, the Blues will be without the services of David Luiz, who has been hampered by knee problems. Additionally, Tiemoue Bakayoko and Ross Barkley have been dinged up and are unlikely to play.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
It’s going to be very difficult for Chelsea to get past Barcelona. The Blues have not been able to score in recent weeks, and that’s usually a problem against the Catalan giants. However, Antonio Conte is a wizard when it comes to setting up his defense. Chelsea were able to shut down Barcelona pretty successfully in the first leg, and it could do so again here.
With that being said, the under looks like a sound play. Taking Chelsea on the goal line at +1.5 is good value too.
Champions League Odds: Barcelona 1, Chelsea 0
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