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FULL-TIME, Barcelona 3-0 Chelsea: We’re going through to the Last Eight! Such a great team performance from start to finish, much better than we all expected. Messi, Dembélé, Iniesta, Alba, all fantastic. I’m just a little worried about Sergio Busquets who went off injured and it could be a knee problem, but he walked out fine so hopefully it was just precaution.
GOAL! Barcelona 3-0 Chelsea (63’): This tie is done, everyone! So Barça did exactly what we all thought, defending and absorbing pressure until they got a killer counter-attack: Jordi Alba with a steal near midfield, Suárez finds Messi who rounds the defense and fires a rocket on the ground that goes throught the legs of Courtois AGAIN. It’s 3-0 Barça, and we’re going to the quarter-finals!
SECOND HALF KICKOFF! Barcelona 2-0 Chelsea: Let’s complete the job, boys!
HALFTIME, Barcelona 2-0 Chelsea: Exceptional first half from the Blaugrana. Barça were simply sensational, and even though the early goal obviously helped them settle their nerves and destroy Chelsea’s game plan right at the start, the rest of the half was just as strong. The team never stopped attacking, and three players were truly special: Lionel Messi, which isn’t a surprise; Andrés Iniesta, who will continue to dominate big games until he’s 92 years old; and Ousmane Dembélé, who scored a great goal and gave the left side of Chelsea’s defense a nightmare with his pace and skill.
With a two-goal lead against a Chelsea side who need a 2-2 draw to qualify, it’s safe to expect Barça to defend a little more in the second half and try to kill the game on the counter. We’re in a great position now, but there’s still 45 minutes to go. Let’s finish the job.
GOAL! Barcelona 2-0 Chelsea (20’): IT’S TWO FOR THE HOME TEAM! Messi was able to steal a ball from Cesc Fàbregas in midfield to start a counter attack of his own, continued to carry the ball until Dembélé finished his great run on the right wing and gave the young Frenchman a golden chance; Dembélé did not waste it and fired a rocket to the top corner. Barça are getting closer to the quarter-finals, and Messi is tearing Chelsea apart.
GOAL! Barcelona 1-0 Chelsea (3’): WHAT A START FOR THE HOME TEAM! Lionel Messi tries a one-two with Ousmane Dembélé, Chelsea are able to stop it but the ball finds Luis Suárez, who finds Messi alone, and the Argentine nutmegs Thibaut Courtois for the opener. That’s now two goals in two games against Chelsea for Messi, the guy who never scored against Chelsea.
KICKOFF! Barcelona 0-0 Chelsea: Let’s do this, boys! Don’t give me a heart attack.
It’s Champions League night! Barcelona and Chelsea clash at Camp Nou to decide who moves on to the quarter-finals, and boy does this game promise to be fun!
Actually, it probably won’t be fun at all. Antonio Conte and Ernesto Valverde prefer having good defensive organization than attacking prowess, so this one will most likely be a stalemate for most of the night. Chelsea know they need a 1-0 win to advance, and Barça know that a 0-0 draw is enough to see them through.
The fact that both teams will be overly cautious will make this even more nervous for fans of the two teams, but it could be a fascinating tactical battle for the neutrals. So basically this game has something for everyone, and you must not miss it.
Also, join us for the LIVE BLOG! It’ll be fun!
MATCH INFO
Preview: Barcelona vs Chelsea
Competition/Round: 2017-18 UEFA Champions League, Round of 16 2nd leg
First leg result: Chelsea 1-1 Barcelona
Date/Time: Wednesday, March 14th, 2018, 8.45pm CET/WAT (Barcelona & Nigeria), 7.45pm BST (UK), 2.45pm EST, 11.45am PST (USA), 1.15am IST (India, next day)
Venue: Camp Nou, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Referee: Damir Skomina (SVN)
HOW TO WATCH, STREAM CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
How to watch on TV: Fox Sports 1 (USA), BT Sport 2 (UK), beIN SPORTS (Canada, Spain), SuperSport 5 (Nigeria), SONY TEN 2 (India), others
How to stream: Fox Sports GO (USA), BT Sport Live (UK), beIN SPORTS CONNECT (Canada, Spain), FuboTV (7-day free trial, click here to sign up)
LINEUPS
BARCELONA
Starting XI: Ter Stegen; Roberto, Piqué, Umtiti, Alba; Dembélé, Rakitic, Busquets, Iniesta; Messi, Suárez
Substitutes: Cillessen, Vermaelen, Digne, Paulinho, Gomes, Vidal, Alcácer
CHELSEA
Starting XI: Courtois; Azpilicueta, Christensen, Rüdiger; Moses, Kanté, Fàbregas, Alonso; Willian, Giroud, Hazard
Substitutes: Caballero, Cahill, Zappacosta, Emerson, Bakayoko, Pedro, Morata
Matchday Thread Rules
We don’t have a lot of rules here, but there are a few things to keep in mind when joining our matchday threads:
Even if the referee sucks or we lose the game, no swearing. It’s just unnecessary. Also, don’t discuss illegal streaming links. Those who do will be warned, and those who post links will be banned. Finally, be nice to each other. This is a Barcelona community and we don’t need to offend one another.
Have fun with the game! VISCA EL BARÇA!