Chelsea and Barcelona are preparing to renew one of the most prominent rivalries in the history of the UEFA Champions League, as they meet at Stamford Bridge for the first time in over seven years, during the fifth round of the competition.

The match revives memories of their previous encounters, with each team having won four times out of 14 prior meetings, while six matches ended in draws. Their last meeting was in the Round of 16 of the 2017/2018 season, where Barcelona advanced with a 4-1 aggregate after a 1-1 draw in London and a 3-0 win at Camp Nou. In earlier group stage encounters during the 2006/2007 season, Chelsea won 1-0 at home before a 2-2 draw in Spain.

Chelsea is considered a difficult team to beat at home against Barcelona, having lost only one of seven matches at Stamford Bridge (4 wins, 2 draws). The Blues have lost just three of their last 13 matches against Spanish teams, including a 4-1 victory over Real Betis in the UEFA Europa Conference League final last season in Wroclaw. Chelsea has lost only two of 16 group stage or league phase matches in the Champions League against Spanish sides, scored in their last 19 European matches, and played their last 52 European games without a goalless draw.

This season marks Chelsea’s twentieth participation in the Champions League, their first since the 2022/2023 season when they reached the quarter-finals. The team has consistently reached the knockout stages in their last eight appearances. Barcelona is playing its thirtieth season in the competition, a record shared with Real Madrid, and has not missed the tournament since the 2003/2004 season. Last season, the Catalan team finished second in the group stage, then overcame Benfica and Borussia Dortmund in the knockout rounds before being eliminated by Inter Milan in the semi-finals with a 7-6 aggregate score.

Barcelona played their last match in the fourth round, drawing 3-3 with Club Brugge after coming back from behind three times. The team continues its strong away form in the group stage, remaining unbeaten in their last five matches with four wins and one draw, scoring three or more goals in four of those games. Barcelona’s last 20 Champions League matches have seen 96 goals scored, averaging 4.8 goals per game, and the team has scored in their last 24 matches in the competition.

Chelsea faces a tough challenge despite winning 14 of their last 17 European matches, drawing once and losing twice, and scoring in their last 19 games. At home, they remain unbeaten in their last 16 European matches since September 2019. The team hopes to leverage these statistics to continue their positive results in the tournament ahead of the highly anticipated match against Barcelona, which represents an important test for both teams in the race to qualify for the knockout stages.