Barca have yet to lose in La Liga so far this season and are expected to win the title at a canter. Chelsea's defence of their title on the other hand has stuttered, making the Spanish side favourites ahead of this one. We take a look at how the 'Blues' can earn victory against Ernesto Valverde's side.
Turn the game into a battle
A lot is made of the physicality of English football, but the point here isn't necessarily to try to bully the Catalans off the park, but rather make the game a draining one. Both manager Ernesto Valverde and several of the Barca players have commented of late that their run of 13 games since January 4 has taken a lot out of the legs and another gruelling game would surely play into Chelsea's hands, particularly after they were able to rest players in the FA Cup at the weekend.
Stop the Messi-Alba axis
The departure of Neymar to PSG was generally seen as a bad thing for Barca, but it has restored Jordi Alba's freedom. The Spaniard is now expected to effective run the left flank on his own, providing width and getting to the byline as often as possible. When he gets into such a position, Messi is usually the recipient, the with the Argentine often returning the favour by setting his team-mate away with passes that other players simply wouldn't see, let alone be able to play.
Stay compact
Barca's main threat comes from quick one-twos around the edge of the box and rapid counters. Hence, if you can force them wide and tempt them into lumping crosses into the box, that would play into the hands of a side that plays five at the back, with Barca hardly a side that dominates aerially. The best way to do this is to remain compact and narrow, effectively surrendering the flanks to your opponents.
Press high
Eibar suffered a narrow 2-0 loss to Barca last time out in La Liga but deserved more after spending large periods of the game on top. Their relentless pressing high up the pitch troubled Barca, who fielded their strongest available side for the game. If Chelsea can emulate that approach but with more composure and quality when in possession they could have the recipe for a result.