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What strategy should Barcelona adopt against Chelsea?

By Chiranjib Ghosh

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 12: A General view of a corner flag at Stamford Bridge ahead of the Premier League match between Chelsea and West Bromwich Albion at Stamford Bridge on February 12, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 12: A General view of a corner flag at Stamford Bridge ahead of the Premier League match between Chelsea and West Bromwich Albion at Stamford Bridge on February 12, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images) /
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It is going to be a tough encounter at Stamford Bridge

EIBAR, SPAIN – FEBRUARY 17: Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona during the La Liga Santander match between Eibar v FC Barcelona at the Estadio Municipal de Ipurua on February 17, 2018 in Eibar Spain (Photo by David S. Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images)
EIBAR, SPAIN – FEBRUARY 17: Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona during the La Liga Santander match between Eibar v FC Barcelona at the Estadio Municipal de Ipurua on February 17, 2018 in Eibar Spain (Photo by David S. Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images) /

Ernesto Valverde’s first-team is not fully rested going into the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16. Some players like Lionel Messi, Ivan Rakitić and Luis Suárez played the full 90 minutes against Eibar in the 2-0 victory over the Basque club.

Valverde made a smart decision by taking off Andrés Iniesta half way through the match, and he is expected to be fully match-fit. But that is not the case for players like Sergio Busquets and Gerard Piqué, who had to bear the brunt of Eibar’s sharpness in attack.

This game, too, they will come up against the likes of Eden Hazard and Alvaro Morata, who are some of the best attacking talents in the world.

So, the onus will be on the midfield to protect the defence as much as possible. Ivan Rakitić and Sergio Busquets need to be at their best. But the team cannot afford to go defensive in the away leg, considering that this is the opportunity to get away goals.

Andrés Iniesta needs to replicate his performance against Eibar, and Ernesto Valverde should select Sergi Roberto to play in the midfield rather than Paulinho, and bring in Nélson Semedo to fill in for Roberto at right-back.

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Sergi Roberto has the experience playing against top-notch sides like Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, which Paulinho does not have. And the Brazilian is not someone who is required against Chelsea. N’Golo Kanté is a small player, and Tiémoué Bakayoko is not known for his physicality.

The midfield does not need muscle power in this match-up, it needs finesse. Andrés Iniesta has enough of that to serve for both sides, but Sergi Roberto is a notch more skillful than Paulinho. Of course, Philippe Coutinho is suspended for the Champions League due to tournament stipulations.

The forward situation is clear, with the team requiring Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez to do what they do best, score, as always. But Chelsea’s defence will be much more experienced than that of Eibar, containing Gary Cahill, Andreas Christensen and César Azpilicueta.

Valverde needs to approach this game in an organised manner, and prevent counter-attacks. Eden Hazard and Willian are very fast, and they can exploit any space given to them in Barcelona’s half. The team should aim to retain possession of the ball, and utilise the width provided by the 3-defender formation to expand the range of play.

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If the side can persevere and perform up to its ability, a win is inevitable.