Match Result: Chelsea v Barcelona
Chelsea and Barcelona could produce an entertaining encounter at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night. The London side have a roughly 45% chance of landing a victory according to the Champions League betting sites, although some punters might be reluctant to bet on them. After all, this is a side who have lost four matches in all competitions this term.
One of these defeats came at home to Sunderland and they were also recently held to a 2-2 draw away to Qarabag. Aside from those games, the other seven encounters have resulted in victories, with a 5-1 triumph occurring against a hapless Ajax side. They also beat Wolves 3-0 before the international break although they continue to be without Cole Palmer.
Chelsea’s 50% win rate at home in the Premier League doesn’t inspire confidence although they’ll be facing a Barcelona side who will always give chances away. Hansi Flick’s side made a strong start to their season although they suffered a home reverse against Paris Saint-Germain at the beginning of October and then came a 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Sevilla.
Since then, there has also been a 2-1 reverse in El Clasico at the Santiago Bernabeu along with a 3-3 draw away to Club Brugge. It’s clear that while Barca are a high-scoring machine, they are also prone to conceding plenty of goals. This sort of approach could see Chelsea benefit in this headline match.
We know that Barcelona like to dominate the ball and they signed off for the international break with a 4-2 win away to Celta Vigo. Any victory in London is likely to be achieved with both teams scoring. There’s the chance that the teams may cancel each other out although that draw in Belgium was only the second time that a match involving Flick’s team had finished level this term.
Goals Under/Over
Goals are very likely to be on the cards at Stamford Bridge. There’s a 66% chance of Over 2.5 happening and some might feel as though the 1.50 is a value bet. Barcelona have played sixteen games in all competitions and it was only a 1-1 draw at Rayo Vallecano where we didn’t see the goal count go over two. We know that Flick’s side are always on a mission to outscore the opposition.
Chelsea’s games have generally been goal-filled too. Seven of the Blues’ previous eight fixtures have seen the goal count go over two. While they’re generally good at limiting opposition chances, it’s a different story when it comes to counteracting a Barcelona side with such an attack-minded approach.
Four of the past five Barca matches have seen the game go Over 3.5 Goals and perhaps it’s worth pushing the boat out and going for this option.
BTTS
BTTS Yes might be trading at 1.40 although it’s hard to see either Chelsea or Barcelona keeping a clean sheet. Since the Catalan side claimed a 3-0 success against Getafe on Sunday 21 September, all of their ensuing clashes have seen both teams score in their games. That means ten games and counting going into the weekend encounter against Athletic Bilbao before a midweek trip to London.
When Barcelona win, it’s usually the case that they concede at least one to the opposition. Chelsea are hardly going to sit back at home and have plenty of players capable of finding the net. The Blues are defensively better considering that Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez provide a strong wall in front of the back four, with two clean sheets kept in three games leading into the international break.
Previously to this, there were three straight games where BTTS Yes happened. As already mentioned, we think this option can either be added to a Chelsea v Barcelona Bet Builder and you might want to combine this selection. For example, a Barcelona win along with both teams to score is trading at a big price and we know that any kind of win for the visitors will usually involve no clean sheets.
First Goalscorer
Robert Lewandowski is the gift that keeps giving. Although the Pole has had a few injury issues this term, he came roaring back with a hat-trick away to Celta Vigo. We know he’s on penalties for the Catalan side and he was also on target for his country away to Malta recently. It’s also noticeable that Lamine Yamal has been in the scoring groove recently.
The eighteen-year-old has scored in four of his past five encounters, with the teenager notching in consecutive games against Elche, Club Brugge and Celta Vigo. The world star is going to cause problems for whoever is tasked with playing at left-back for Chelsea, with Ferran Torres also having proven a reliable source of goals.
The 25-year-old has scored nine for the campaign and is a reliable general for Hansi Flick, with Fermin Lopez also capable of finding the net. The Spaniard was able to score a hat-trick against Olympiakos and could be prominent in this clash.
Chelsea will hope that Joao Pedro can provide inspiration and there may also be plenty to come from Pedro Neto from the wide angles. Alejandro Garnacho has also been among the goals recently and the former Manchester United man can fire against Barca.