Valverde names Barcelona squad for UCL match at Chelsea

Ernesto Valverde has named a larger squad for Barcelona in the upcoming Champions League round of 16 match with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

After getting past Eibar on the weekend, Barcelona can now look to their Champions League match against Chelsea. This match is the first leg of their round of 16 tie and it will be played at Stamford Bridge. These two clubs are two of the best in the world and they have a history of great Champions League matches and moments. Both teams come into the match hungry for a chance to move onto the quarterfinals.

Most recently, Chelsea got the best of Barcelona in the 2012 Champions League semifinals where the English side earned a 2-2 draw in the second leg at Camp Nou. This was enough to send Chelsea to the final. It was a final in which Chelsea won against Bayern Munich in their home stadium. While that one stung for the Blaugrana, 2009 was a much better memory for Barca fans around the world.

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The 2009 Champions League semifinals between Chelsea and Barca was a controversial and memorable one. In the first leg at Camp Nou, no one could muster a goal and it went back to Stamford Bridge scoreless. This meant that all Chelsea had to do was win the match and they’d be in the final against Manchester United like the previous year. Barca needed a win or a draw to advance.

Despite some controversial calls, Chelsea had the lead going into stoppage time when a cross was sent into the box. Chelsea couldn’t clear the cross and Lionel Messi was able to find Andres Iniesta for one of the most clutch goals in Champions League history. It was a goal that sent the Blaugrana to the 2009 final, a match where they won 2-0 over the defending champion Manchester United.

Ernesto Valverde’s team is looking to avenge their loss to Chelsea in 2012 and they have a squad with a lot of quality and experience. There are a few players returning to the squad from injury and some that are ineligible to play for various reasons. In the end, this squad is capable of good things as usual, but Chelsea will be tough to beat regardless.

Philippe Coutinho can’t play in the Champions League because he featured for Liverpool and Nelson Semedo is suspended. However, Thomas Vermaelen is available after missing time due to a hamstring injury. Ernesto Valverde has all of his other players at his disposal for this match. In addition to that, Barca B goalkeeper Adrian Ortola gets to be in the squad.

Here is the 20 man squad for the Chelsea match:

Goalkeepers: Marc Andre Ter Stegen, Jasper Cillessen, Adrian Ortola

Defenders: Jordi Alba, Lucas Digne, Sergi Roberto, Gerard Pique, Samuel Umtiti, Yerry Mina, Thomas Vermaelen

Midfielders: Andre Gomes, Aleix Vidal, Ivan Rakitic, Paulinho, Sergio Busquets, Denis Suarez, Andres Iniesta

Forwards: Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Ousmane Dembele, Paco Alcacer

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Overall, having everyone that is eligible to play this match available is a good thing for the Blaugrana. Ernesto Valverde has to create a starting 11 that is as creative and as defensive as it can be. Chelsea has a lot of dangerous players on their team including former Barca players Pedro and Cesc Fabregas. However, the team runs through the creativity of Eden Hazard. It will not be an easy two-leg tie for Barca and they’ll have to play their best football to advance to the quarterfinals.

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