The night at London sets the stage, but it’s far from routine when the continent’s elite collide. For Chelsea Women, the encounter at the Bridge against Barcelona carries the heavy echo of European heartbreak.
Barça arrive having swept their opening fixtures and carrying the air of favourites. The Blues, meanwhile, must balance ambition with caution: a slip here and the road to the latter stages becomes markedly steeper.
**Date / Time:** November 20, 2025, 20.00 BST; 3pm ET
**Venue:** Stamford Bridge, SW6
**Referee:** Tess Olofsson (on pitch); Katrin Rafalski (VAR)
**Forecast:** Cloudy with a breeze
**On TV:** BBC Two (UK); ESPN Deportes (US); **[elsewhere](https://www.livesoccertv.com/match/chelsea-fc-vs-barcelona/4ic08h#5448630)**
**Streaming:** BBC iPlayer, Disney+ (UK); ESPN+, Paramount+, fuboTV (US)
**Chelsea team news:** It’s very difficult not to be all “doom and gloom” about this impeding match. The team are not in a good place even though they are unbeaten, and they look even worse than they were when we last faced Barça and were beaten at home 4-1 in the second leg of the Champions League semifinal last season.
Sam Kerr, who didn’t even make the bench against Liverpool in our 1-1 draw last weekend, won’t be fit to play against Barcelona but will join the Australian national team in the upcoming international break. Lauren James, who won’t join the English national team in the upcoming international break, is fit to start against the Catalan juggernauts.
**Barcelona team news:** This summer the Blaugrana faced what’s been described as a “calamitous” window. Since they were constrained by financial-fair-play rules, they managed just one senior signing — defender Laia Aleixandri arriving on a free from Manchester City — while off-loading several first-team players including Ingrid Syrstad Engen, Fridolina Rolfö and Ellie Roebuck in a bid to trim the wage bill. They’re still the team to beat in Europe, having just beaten Real Madrid 4-0 in Liga F Moeve.
On the injury front, star forward Ewa Pajor remains sidelined with a knee issue, while winger Kika Nazareth is also out after picking up an ankle sprain. Barcelona are further depleted by the absence of forward Salma Paralluelo, who continues to recover from a muscle problem; and midfielder Patri Guijarro, who remains unavailable with a foot injury that has kept her out of recent fixtures.
**Previously:** In eight encounters between the two sides Chelsea have beaten Barcelona once. All thanks to Erin Cuthbert’s lone goal and a extremely well executed game plan at Estadi Johan Cruyff one-and-a-half year ago.
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