Chelsea FC and FC Barcelona face each other this Tuesday on matchday 5 of the league stage of the UEFA Champions League 2025/26. After 14 previous encounters this century, the 'Blues' and the 'Cules' already star in a true European classic, which for now registers a very balanced record with four wins each and 6 draws.

Furthermore, both clubs arrive with the same number of points and in need of a victory to get closer to the TOP-8 that grants direct access to the round of 16. Barça and Chelsea have 7 points and occupy 11th and 12th place in the standings, respectively, with an advantage for the Catalans thanks to goal difference.

In matchday 4, both teams drew away against **Bruges and Qarabag**, two theoretically inferior rivals, but who gave the Catalans and Londoners a tough fight. This Tuesday, at Stamford Bridge, Barça needs to win to ward off the specter of the Europa League knockout stage.

  • 📺 Where and when to watch the match: the channels broadcasting Chelsea-Barcelona WATCH

Barça goes for their second away win in the mini-league

This season, Hansi Flick's team is undefeated away from home in the Champions League, with one win and one draw. On matchday 1, the Catalans won in Newcastle (1-2) in another very difficult stadium: St. James Park. At the 'blue' stronghold, Barça has only won once in seven visits, almost two decades ago (1-2 in 2006)

In general terms, the Catalan team arrives strengthened in morale and footballing terms for matchday 5 of the Champions League. The league victories against Celta (2-4) and Athletic (4-0), along with the returns of Joan García and Raphinha, provide more solidity to a team that remains lethal in attack but vulnerable in defense.

It was only on Saturday that the Blaugranas managed to keep a clean sheet after nine consecutive games conceding. Facing them will be a Chelsea side that has a perfect home record in the Champions League (1-0 against Benfica, 5-1 against Ajax) and who are coming off a weekend win against Burnley (0-2)

LAST 5 MATCHES OF BARÇA AND CHELSEA
H BARÇA CHELSEA H
H 🟢 4-0 vs Athletic 0-2 vs Burnley A 🟢
A 🟢 2-4 vs Celta 3-0 vs Wolves H 🟢
A🟡 3-3 vs Brujas* 2-2 vs Qarabag* A🟡
H 🟢 3-1 vs Elche 0-1 vs Tottenham H 🟢
A 🔴 2-1 vs R. Madrid 3-4 vs Wolves A 🟢
  • *Champions League Match
  • H: Home
  • L: Local
  • A: Away

Enzo Maresca's team occupies second place in the Premier League with 23 points, 6 behind leaders Arsenal. Despite suffering a couple of home defeats against Brighton and Sunderland, as well as losing their Champions League opener against Bayern (3-1), the English team has raised their level in the last 5 games, with 4 wins and 1 draw.

  • ℹ️ Squad list: the players called up by Hansi Flick for Chelsea-Barcelona: SEE

Flick once again has a majority of available starters for the Champions League

Joan García after Barça-Athletic (4-0)

For Barcelona, the best news ahead of Champions League matchday 5 is the presence of Joan García and Raphinha. Both missed the last three matchdays due to injury and will be available in London. In the case of the goalkeeper, he will once again start after keeping a clean sheet on Saturday against Athletic.

The Catalans will still not be able to count on Pedri González, while Gavi and Ter Stegen also remain sidelined due to injury. In this regard, Hansi Flick will have a majority of his starting players available for matchday 5 of the group stage. Koundé and Balde must remain as full-backs, while the Araujo-Cubarsí pairing could return to the center of defense.

This is always assuming that **Eric García** repeats as a defensive pivot, this time accompanying **Frenkie de Jong**. The player from Martorell is the defender in best form in the squad and it is unlikely he will be left out of the starting XI. The same applies to **Fermín López**, who has managed to win the duel against Dani Olmo for the attacking midfield position with goals and assists.

The player from Huelva has been involved in 9 goals in his last 7 matches. Up front, **Lamine Yamal and Robert Lewandowski** will likely share the attack with Marcus Rashford, who was out with flu symptoms against Athletic. Ferran Torres, however, could also remain in the starting XI, as he scored a brace against the Basques.

In Chelsea's case, the English will not be able to count on Cole Palmer due to injury, but they will have the rest of their usual starters. Enzo Maresca must keep his 4-2-3-1 formation intact, with Moisés Caicedo and Enzo Fernández leading the midfield and Brazilians Estevao and Joao Pedro as the main offensive options, alongside Portuguese Pedro Neto

  • 👉 Lineups: the probable starting XIs for Chelsea and FC Barcelona: SEE

Barcelona's Accounts to Avoid the Europa League Play-off Round

In the 24/25 season, the minimum number of points needed to get into the TOP-8 of the league was 16. Currently, Barça has 7 units and would need at least three more wins to reach 16.

If they win all four remaining matches, the team would match their previous season's total (19), which was enough to finish second in the general standingsIn that sense, a draw in London could be enough to keep direct qualification to the round of 16 intact. This considering that the last three rivals for the Catalans are **Eintracht (home), Slavia Prague (away), and Copenhagen (home)**, all theoretically of lesser hierarchy.

Should they finish outside the top eight, Barça would be forced to play the round of 32, which involves an extra two-legged tie in February, against one of the teams ranked between 9th and 24th in the standings.