Chelsea, the current Club World Cup champions, will be Barça’s opponents in matchday five of the Champions League. The clash will be played on Tuesday 25 November at 9pm CET at Stamford Bridge in the first meeting between the sides since the 2017/18 season, when Barça progressed to the quarter finals.

The opposition

The Londoners are returning to the Champions League after three seasons away. Their last appearance was in 2022/23, but finishing fourth in the Premier League has secured their place in Europe’s premier club competition. The Blues are also going into the contest on the back of two recent trophies: the Conference League and the Club World Cup, which they won after beating PSG, reigning Champions League winners, 3–0.

Chelsea are coached by Italian Enzo Maresca, now in his third season in English football as a head coach, having previously been on Pep Guardiola’s staff at Manchester City and on Manuel Pellegrini’s at West Ham. His first spell as head coach was with Leicester City in 2023/24, when he led them to promotion to the Premier League. Last season he joined Chelsea, becoming one of the architects of their successful 2025 so far.

This season, Maresca’s side are again showing great form, lying second in the Premier League with seven points from a possible nine, only behind Liverpool with a perfect nine. There have been several squad changes compared to last year. The most notable departures were attackers Madueke, Nkunku and João Félix, but the team has reinforced their frontline with Delap, Joao Pedro, Garnacho and Estevao, the latter a Brazilian prodigy of just 18 years old.

Men to watch

Chelsea’s squad is packed with quality, but certain names stand out particularly. In goal, Spaniard Robert Sánchez is now a fixture between the posts. In defence, Maresca relies heavily on former Barça man Cucurella, while in midfield Moisés Caicedo is the immovable piece, providing balance, recovering balls and forming a key double pivot with the highly talented Enzo Fernández. Further forward, Barça will need to keep a close eye on Palmer, Joao Pedro and Estevao, all agile players who are leading the blues’ attack. Palmer finished the 2024/25 season with 18 goals and 14 assists, underlining his offensive potential.

Previous meetings

Chelsea and Barça have met regularly in Champions League history. They have played 14 times, with four wins each and six draws. In terms of knockout ties, Barça have the edge, progressing in four of the six match-ups, including the famous 2009 semi-final with Iniesta’s iconic last-second goal at Stamford Bridge, and the last meeting in the 2017/18 round of 16. Chelsea’s most notable victory came in the 2011/12 semi-final, when Fernando Torres scored to send the blues through to the final.

The stadium

The match will be played at Stamford Bridge, a legendary English football venue with a capacity of around 40,000. The stadium takes its name from the Battle of Stamford Bridge and has been the home of the blues since 1905, hosting countless historic nights. It has also staged England internationals and FA Cup finals.

History

Chelsea were founded in 1905 and have spent most of their existence in the top flight of English football. They are one of the most successful and historic clubs in England, with six Premier League titles (most recently in 2017) and two Champions League triumphs (2012 and 2021) as the standout honours in their record. Legendary figures include Didier Drogba, the club’s all-time top scorer in the Champions League, and John Terry, the player with the most appearances in European competition for Chelsea.

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