Chelsea hotshot Estevao Willian could emulate Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe when the Blues welcome Barcelona to Stamford Bridge for Tuesday's Champions League league-phase tussle.
Following his successful exploits for Brazil during the international break, the former Palmeiras teenager was overlooked for a start in Saturday's 2-0 Premier League victory over Burnley at Turf Moor.
In his place, Jamie Bynoe-Gittens and Pedro Neto combined for the opening goal, and the latter has been directly involved in five goals in his last five Premier League appearances, after registering just one involvement in his first seven games of the season.
The Portugal international is a shoo-in for the visit of Barcelona, where Alejandro Garnacho will also be vying for a start on the left-hand side over Gittens.
However, Estevao has a strong case to be named in the first XI against the reigning La Liga champions, having found the net on both of his UCL starts against Ajax and Qarabag this season.
Estevao Willian aiming to emulate Kylian Mbappe in Chelsea vs. Barcelona
Chelsea winger Estevao Willian in August 2025.
Should the 18-year-old also start and score against Hansi Flick's men on Tuesday evening, he would become the second-youngest player in history to find the back of the net in three successive Champions League starts.
The Brazil international would achieve that scoring feat at 18 years and 215 days old, only 102 days older than Mbappe when he did so for Monaco during the 2016-17 campaign.
That year, Mbappe scored in his first four starts in the competition against Manchester City (twice) and Borussia Dortmund (twice), and his third start came at the age of 18 years and 113 days.
A then-teenage Mbappe helped propel Monaco into the semi-finals of that year's competition, although Enzo Maresca's men are currently only on course for a spot in the knockout round playoffs, sitting 12th in the table after four games with seven points.
Chelsea vs. Barcelona: Striking stats give Blues hope for Champions League clash
Pedro Neto celebrates with Enzo Fernandez after scoring for Chelsea on November 22, 2025
However, the Blues are only one place shy of upcoming opponents Barcelona at the midway point of the league phase, as La Blaugrana have also won two, drawn one and lost one of their four European matches in 2025-26.
Barca have become renowned for their high-octane play and attacking prowess under Flick, as they have already netted 12 goals in the current competition, the third-most behind Dortmund (13), Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich (both 14).
On the other hand, the Catalan giants have also conceded seven goals - the most of any team in the top 13 of the table - and Flick's high-line tactics are repeatedly exposed by rival teams.
In addition, English clubs have won nine out of their last 10 Champions League fixtures against La Liga teams, the one aberration being Barcelona's 2-1 triumph over Newcastle United in September.
Furthermore, Chelsea come into Tuesday's game on a four-match unbeaten run against Barcelona at Stamford Bridge, where the Blaugrana's only victory to date was a 2-1 win in February 2006.
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