Chelsea vs Barcelona Preview

Chelsea host Barcelona at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday, November 25th for a Champions League league phase encounter that promises attacking football between two European giants. The Blues enter this fixture in excellent form, having won their most recent outing 2-0 away at Burnley. Prior to that, they secured a 3-0 home victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers and won 1-0 at Tottenham. Earlier in this sequence, they drew 2-2 away at FK Qarabag before beating Wolverhampton Wanderers 4-3 in the Carabao Cup. Their unbeaten run across these five matches demonstrates the consistent quality Enzo Maresca’s side have been producing, with four wins and one draw showcasing their attacking prowess and defensive solidity.

Barcelona arrive in London equally buoyed by their recent performances, having claimed a 4-0 home win over Athletic Club in their most recent La Liga fixture. In their previous outing, they won 4-2 away at Celta Vigo, while earlier they drew 3-3 away at Club Brugge in Champions League action. Before that, they defeated Elche 3-1 at home, though they suffered a 2-1 loss away at Real Madrid. The Catalan giants have won three, drawn one, and lost one of their last five matches, demonstrating their ability to dominate domestically while navigating the challenges of European competition.

The head-to-head record between these sides is evenly balanced, with one win apiece and three draws in their last five meetings. Chelsea claimed a 2-1 away victory in July 2019, while Barcelona secured a 3-0 home win in the Champions League in March 2018. The most recent competitive meeting between the clubs in February 2018 ended 1-1.

Chelsea are expected to deploy a 4-2-3-1 formation with Cucurella, Garnacho, Adarabioyo, Caicedo, Acheampong, Fernández, Neto, Pedro, Guiu, Sánchez, and James forming the starting eleven. However, the Blues will be without Roméo Lavia, Cole Palmer, Levi Colwill, and Mykhailo Mudryk (suspension) through injury, significantly depleting their midfield and defensive options.

Barcelona will counter with a 4-3-3 setup featuring Koundé, Yamal, López, Araujo, Lewandowski, Jong, Szczesny, Cubarsí, Rashford, Olmo, and Balde. The visitors face their own injury concerns with Marc-André ter Stegen, Pedri, and Gavi all ruled out, weakening their goalkeeping and midfield departments.

Both teams face significant injury challenges, though Chelsea’s absences appear more impactful given the loss of key creative and defensive players. Barcelona’s missing personnel affect crucial positions but they retain greater depth in attacking areas.

Fans across the globe can watch this encounter live, with Amazon Prime Video providing coverage in the UK and Ireland. Spanish viewers can tune in via Movistar Liga de Campeones and Movistar Plus+, while German audiences have access through DAZN Germany. Italian supporters can watch on NOW TV and Sky Sport, with the 20:00 GMT kick-off translating to 21:00 CET across mainland Europe.

Injured Players:

Chelsea: Roméo Lavia (Out), Cole Palmer (Out), Levi Colwill (Out), Mykhailo Mudryk (Out)

Barcelona: Marc-André ter Stegen (Out), Pedri (Out), Gavi (Out)

Chelsea face more severe injury concerns with four players ruled out, significantly depleting their midfield creativity and defensive options. Barcelona are also missing three key players including their first-choice goalkeeper and two influential midfielders, though they retain greater attacking depth.

Possible Line-Ups:

Chelsea (4-2-3-1) Cucurella, Garnacho, Adarabioyo, Caicedo, Acheampong, Fernández, Neto, Pedro, Guiu, Sánchez, James

Barcelona (4-3-3) Koundé, Yamal, López, Araujo, Lewandowski, Jong, Szczesny, Cubarsí, Rashford, Olmo, Balde

Chelsea – Last Five Games:

Result	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
✅	Burnley	0-2	Chelsea	English Premier League	Nov 22, 2025
✅	Chelsea	3-0	Wolverhampton Wanderers	English Premier League	Nov 8, 2025
🤝	FK Qarabag	2-2	Chelsea	Champions League	Nov 5, 2025
✅	Tottenham Hotspur	0-1	Chelsea	English Premier League	Nov 1, 2025
✅	Wolverhampton Wanderers	3-4	Chelsea	English Carabao Cup	Oct 29, 2025

Barcelona – Last Five Games:

Result	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
✅	Barcelona	4-0	Athletic Club	Spanish LALIGA	Nov 22, 2025
✅	Celta Vigo	2-4	Barcelona	Spanish LALIGA	Nov 9, 2025
🤝	Club Brugge	3-3	Barcelona	Champions League	Nov 5, 2025
✅	Barcelona	3-1	Elche	Spanish LALIGA	Nov 2, 2025
❌	Real Madrid	2-1	Barcelona	Spanish LALIGA	Oct 26, 2025

Head to Head:

Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
Barcelona	1-2	Chelsea	Club Friendly	Jul 23, 2019
Barcelona	3-0	Chelsea	Champions League	Mar 14, 2018
Chelsea	1-1	Barcelona	Champions League	Feb 20, 2018
Chelsea	2-2	Barcelona	International Champions Cup	Jul 29, 2015
Barcelona	2-2	Chelsea	Champions League	Apr 24, 2012

TV Listings / Streaming:

Country	Broadcaster
Great Britain	Amazon Prime Video
Ireland Republic	Amazon Prime Video
Spain	Movistar Liga de Campeones, Movistar Plus+
Germany	DAZN Germany
Italy	NOW TV, Sky Sport
USA	Paramount+, ViX
Portugal	DAZN Portugal, DAZN Eleven 1 Portugal
France	myCANAL, Canal+ Live 2
Canada	DAZN Canada, fuboTV Canada
Australia	Stan Sport