please log in to view this image Good afternoon fellow blues, we step into the Barca game at the Bridge brimming with confidence after a 5-1 mauling over our bitter rivals at Wembley . Robbie steps ever closer to securing his managerial spot at Chelsea with the win over Spurs, firmly stamping our place in the final of the FA cup. David Luiz looks set to miss the 1st leg at least after picking up a hamstring injury yesterday and being taken off for Cahill, I reckon he'll be a huge miss for us! Ivanovic is set to make his return along side Terry and Cahill, we can take positives that he'll be fit, fresh and raring to go against Barca. Here are both teams' form: Chelsea: Aston Villa 2-4 - W Benfica 2-1 - W Wigan 2-1 - W Fulham 1-1 - D Tottenham 1-5 - W Barcelona: Atletic 2-0 - W AC Milan 3-1 - W Zaragoza 1-4 - W Getafe 4-0 - W Levante 1-2 - W Both teams have a very very important game sandwiched between both legs and will ultimately have an eye on that, especially Barca. We play Arsenal on Satruday at lunchtime and they have a very important title decider at the Nou Camp against Madrid. Predicted Line Ups: Chelsea: please log in to view this image I can't see him playing Lampard again but I hope I'm wrong. I'd like to see Sturridge at home aswell but he won't be replacing Ramires on the right! Barcelona: please log in to view this image Took a wild guess at that, haven't seen anywhere that one of their boys is injured so I expect their strongest line up! My prediction is that we will draw this, I don't think we'll win after having the wind taken out of us yesterday on that massive Wembley pitch. I'll go for a brave 0-0 . KTBFFH! COME ON CHELSEA! please log in to view this image
This is the sort of tie where I dont mind putting a large wager on Barca! We can , the way we're playing at the moment pull off a surprise..and if we dont I can at least pay for a nice "drown your sorrows" party!
while luiz has been brilliant recently i sort of see it as a good thing that he's out! jt and cahill wont try any nonsense with messi like he would. luiz v messi was always an accident waiting to happen! i agree we can get a draw on wednesday, we always turn up against this mob!
Good luck against them. Judging by what I have read on their forum pages I think that you are one of the sides they dislike playing against, it may work in your favour. I think Tello (sp?) may be part of the front three for them... quite a talented young player from what I have seen. Fabregas may start on the bench.
No matter what anyone says about what we could and should do and how we could and should play them, I just cannot see us getting anything from the game I'm afraid. It's the first time in YEARS that we are going into a game and I genuinely have little to no belief of a favourable result for us. Even if we were on form this year sitting clear at the top of the league it would still be very hard and we would still be nowhere near favourites. Their is only one thing we can really rely on and that's luck - lots of it.
This this is ripped from the BBC...it is Graham Hunters view on the games coming up with Barca...left out Hurleys because he is evidently a complete arsehole but all three pundits views can be seen here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17620737 "At the start of this season Barcelona were irregular, they didn't concentrate well. They would get ahead in games and then ship goals. That stemmed back to one of the least intense pre-seasons I've seen under Pep Guardiola and that had an effect until nearly mid-November. "Since then, there has only really been one flaw, which is their finishing. Their play has been great, flowing, the ball moves very quickly, the majority of their good players are in form. But they're creating far, far more chances than they're burying. "That lack of being clinical is something that normally costs you at the top level. It's not something Barcelona have been guilty of since Guardiola took over in 2008, but missing chances is something Chelsea can capitalise on if they themselves are a little bit more clinical. "Barcelona aren't surprised at all to be facing Chelsea. There's an abiding respect for them. It goes back to that semi-final in 2009 and throughout the Jose Mourinho era. "Chelsea were so strong for those few years that there were discussions at Barcelona board level about whether Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi should be loaned out. "They thought these guys were too small and several of the Catalans were saying 'look at Chelsea, Chelsea are the way forward, this is the modern game, you must buy big players, we must have more like Mark van Bommel, the little guys might make it but we can't be sure'. "That's how much Chelsea, over the years, challenged the formula that we've all come to appreciate and admire at Barcelona." If that is true or not is something else, but **** it...lets give it to them as best we can and if we get anything from it then happy ****ing days
Great post mate Give it 100% that's all we can do. Lets be proud to be Britain's only remaining team.
I'm going to the game on wednesday and I think we are capable of getting a draw in the firsst leg. After all Barca fear us more than any other team! *ahem*
I think we can win the home leg. We have to, and the players know that. Nou Camp is a fight for survival. We'd need atleast a 2-0 margin and a lot of punch. I think we can do it, and if there's anyone I'd want on Messi it's Ivan.
Drogs, very interested that both teams will have their eyes on what's sandwiched between both legs. I will keep a very close look out !!! Nice thread as usual. Just don't know about this one. If we turn up like we did against Napoli, a draw is the least we can expect. What a pity Luiz is out, I think he puts in more killer passes to our forwards than our entire midfield. Expect Barca to play their usual 1,000,000,000 passes to advance 20 metres. We need to sit back, let them run around, sideways, backwards until they get the hump, then counter with real pace and strength. If we take them on, they'll murder us. if we frustrate the hell out of them , they get edgy. They definitely don't like it up em. Then of course, there's the referee !!!!
C'mon Chelsea! We can do this I'm so psyched for the Chelsea vs Barcelona match. Not long to wait now if you've been waiting since the UCL semi final draw.
