In-depth Analysis
Chelsea endured a tough battle to secure a point against Qarabag in the fourth round of the Champions League, with Alejandro Garnacho shining to earn a 2-2 draw for the FIFA Club World Cup champions.
The draw in Baku extended Chelsea’s wait for their first away win in the competition this season, although they have claimed back-to-back home victories, defeating both Benfica and Ajax. In fact, since before the COVID outbreak in 2019, The Blues have remained unbeaten at Stamford Bridge in all European group-stage matches, recording 16 games without defeat, including 12 wins.
Ahead of the clash with Barca, Chelsea are in excellent form, winning their last three Premier League matches without conceding and rising to second place after a 2-0 victory over Burnley.
On the other side, Barca returned to Camp Nou for the first time in 909 days and convincingly beat Bilbao 4-0 last weekend. Besides their usual scoring spree, Barca also kept a clean sheet for the first time in 11 games. However, facing an in-form Chelsea away from home, Hansi Flick’s side will surely encounter significant challenges.