When Chelsea take on Barcelona in the Champions League this Tuesday, plenty of eyes are going to be on Lamine Yamal and Raphinha.
Yamal and Raphinha may just be the two best wide men in world football right now, so it could be a long night for Chelsea’s backline.
However, they are not the only players who can hurt Enzo Maresca’s side in this highly-anticipated Champions League fixture.
Chelsea’s last five results vs Barcelona
Barcelona 3-0 Chelsea – 14/3/18
Chelsea 1-1 Barcelona – 20/2/18
Barcelona 2-2 Chelsea – 24/4/12
Chelsea 1-0 Barcelona – 18/4/12
Chelsea 1-1 Barcelona – 6/5/09
In fact, Barcelona have a couple of individuals who have already punished Chelsea in the past.
Barcelona forward Marcus Rashford warming up
Photo by Jose Manuel Alvarez Rey/Getty Images
Marcus Rashford’s stunning record against Chelsea
Marcus Rashford, who joined Barcelona on loan from Manchester United in the summer, has an excellent record against Chelsea.
Rashford has played the Blues 21 times in his career, recording 11 goal contributions along the way, according to Transfermarkt. That includes his incredible free-kick in a 2-1 victory over them in the Carabao Cup.
Robert Lewandowski, one of the greatest centre-forwards European football has ever seen, has also scored against Chelsea before.
He netted in both legs of Bayern Munich’s last-16 triumph over the Club World Cup winners in the 2019/20 Champions League campaign.
Yamal and Raphinha are definitely capable of punishing Chelsea and will do just that if Maresca’s men defend as they did in their 2-2 draw with Qarabag. Jorrel Hato particularly struggled during that game.
Rashford and Lewandowski, though, may just prove to be Barcelona’s danger men on the night. Of course, a lot will depend on what attack Hansi Flick actually goes with.
Barcelona duo Raphinha and Lamine Yamal talking
Photo by Joan Valls/Urbanandsport/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Chelsea’s main threat against Barcelona
Chelsea also have individuals who are capable of making a difference on Tuesday. The likes of Estevao Willian and Joao Pedro are dangerous attackers, though there is no doubt that Pedro Neto is the Blues’ biggest threat right now.
What the big names have said in the past about Chelsea vs Barcelona
“There are players here who hate Chelsea more than Real Madrid. I never thought I would hear myself say that. I also never thought I would see something worse than the Boca and River Plate rivalry or Brazil v Argentina – but this is. We would rather play Arsenal, Manchester United or anyone else than be on the pitch with Chelsea.”
Lionel Messi
“I thought this could be the worst night of my footballing life, I was thinking towards double figures, I spent the first 20 minutes getting nowhere near Xavi and Iniesta”
Frank Lampard
“I always say this Barcelona team was the best of my generation, one team was capable of matching them in this era and that was us.”
John Terry
Neto scored again over the weekend, grabbing Chelsea’s opener against Burnley and his fourth goal of the season.
A lot of Chelsea fans will want to see Estevao starting on the right-hand side, but it would be a shock if Maresca did not go with Neto.