Reigning Premier League champions Chelsea host La Liga leaders FC Barcelona on Tuesday in the UEFA Champions League, but who will win the match?
Crucial clash
Antonio Conte’s men go into the crucial last 16 encounter having come out victorious in their last two games – beating West Bromwich Albion 3-0 in the English Premier League and trashing Hull City 4-0 in the Emirates FA Cup on Friday night.
However, Barcelona and Argentina superstar Lionel Messi and the Spanish La Liga leaders will hand the Blues a much tougher test compared to their last couple of opponents.
Healthy squad
The Italian tactician has a healthy-looking team for the crunch showdown, with Spain international left-back Marcos Alonso prepared to return to the first team after recovering from an ankle injury.
France international midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko has been sidelined with a knock, while Brazil international defender David Luiz also with a knock and England international Ross Barkley with an ankle injury are also doubtful for the encounter.
But aside from that, the former Juventus and Italy head coach has all his top players prepared to play at Stamford Bridge against the Catalan giants.
Probably line up
We are of the opinion the manager will go with a similar 3-5-1-1 setup to the one that picked up a 2-1 victory away to La Liga side Atletico Madrid earlier in the campaign.
Thibaut Courtois; Azpilicueta, Christensen, Gary Cahill; Macos Alonso, Kante, Bakayoko, Victor Moses, Cesc Fabregas; Eden Hazard; Olivier Giroud.
I’m a freelance blogger, and a seasoned web designer and developer, PC Producer specializes in creating visually stunning, user-friendly websites that reflect each client’s unique brand identity. Our services include web design, web development, SEO optimization, and e-commerce solutions, all tailored to meet the specific needs of our clients.