Chelsea vs. Barcelona Preview

Many people believe it is a significant advantage to play the second leg of a crucial European tie at home – however Chelsea may be glad of the realistic opportunity to attain a first leg lead against Barcelona when they face the Champions League champions at Stamford Bridge on April 18.

At 1/5, the Catalans are overwhelming favourites to progress through to the final in Munich and their anticipated dominance over Chelsea is typified by their odds of 4/5 to achieve a winning result in West London.

But after a tremendous run of form following the appointment of interim boss Roberto Di Matteo, the Blues will be confident of mixing things up from the first whistle and making their home advantage count despite the notion they are massive underdogs.

And the factor of a home first leg could prove even more of a benefit for Chelsea considering how nervously they played when hosting Benfica for the second leg of their quarter-final tie.

Despite notching up a serious of vital wins both domestically and on the continent, there is still a sense that Di Matteo has yet to find a settled first eleven and that his team can play better.

Chelsea will obviously have to step up to the plate just to stay competitive with Barcelona however there a number of players in the Blues’ squad who seem built for the big occasion.

Didier Drogba will be hoping to lead the attack for the club after being continuously rotated with Fernando Torres over recent weeks however the key to potential success for Chelsea here may be to include both star strikers in the line-up.

With Barcelona notoriously difficult to shake off the ball, Di Matteo’s side will have to start on the front foot on their own turf and aim to stay there for as long as possible.

This could easily be a walkover if Barca are allowed to dictate, but Chelsea are easily capable of putting on the pressure especially as Pep Guardiola’s charges have turned in some lacklustre performances on the road this season – a main cause for certain of the deficit which they currently trail behind bitter rivals Real Madrid in La Liga.

The likes of Essien, Lampard and Ramires will have to hang tough in the face of Barcelona’s world class midfield but with physicality a sure advantage in their favour, the Catalan’s could be in for an unusually uncomfortable night.

Even a win here for Chelsea still leaves them with a lot to do in the Nou Camp, but at a big price of 4/1 they are taken to at least poke their noses in front.

If the game opens up, Barcelona will thrive and should at least bag some important away goals to take back to Spain.

But if Chelsea can defend deep and pick their opportunities wisely, the visitors can be frustrated and a 1-0 or 2-1 home victory looks more than possible.

Barca are still fancied to make yet another European final, however backers in this market should probably wait until the events at the Bridge are over.

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09/04/2012     © Frixo 2024