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Already this Tuesday will show whether "Barcelona" will continue the fight for the Champions League trophy - the Catalans will have to take revenge on London's "Chelsea" team.
"Barcelona" - London's "Chelsea"
First match: 0-1
Stadium: "Camp Nou", Barcelona (Spain)
Referee: Cuneyt Cakir (Turkey)
Kickoff: 21:45 (Lithuanian time)
Live broadcast: TV6, "Viasat Sport Baltic" (both live)
"Barcelona" coach Pep Guardiola delighted journalists before the match with a bold statement: "I am sure that we will be in Munich, where the final of the tournament will take place." Meanwhile, the guest coach Roberto Di Matteo was more modest and hoped to seize the opportunities to score goals.
"Believe me when I say that we will succeed tomorrow," Guardiola said. "I believe in these players for a hundred reasons: they will surely beat Chelsea. I understand that many do not want our victory, but we believe in it. We will definitely be in Munich."
And he continued: "I do not know if this is the biggest challenge in my coaching career, but I always accept them with optimism because I believe in the team. We know that Chelsea has a strong team that will seek victory. We will have to find ways towards the opponent's goal, and that is not impossible."
Over the weekend, Barcelona suffered a crucial loss at home to Madrid's "Real" with a score of 1-2 and practically buried their hopes of defending the country's champion title. In addition, the streak of 54 consecutive unbeaten matches at home stadium since the fall of 2010 that delighted fans was broken.
In this match, the Catalans will compete without Eric Abidal, David Villa, and Andre Fontas who have fallen out of the lineup, but coach will have Ibrahim Afellay back after recovering from a serious injury.
Chelsea coach Di Matteo was more cautious at the press conference: "The chances of the teams are 50-50. We have a slight advantage, but we understand how difficult it will be to maintain it. I think we need to score a goal because then the opportunities will significantly increase. Playing for a draw can be too difficult."
"We understand that Barcelona will create opportunities, and we will need to reduce their number to a minimum. We are capable of reaching the final. This will require luck, but without it, no one wins trophies."
Over the weekend, Chelsea played a goalless draw in the London derby with "Arsenal" - it was the first "dry" match after 26 consecutive matches in which the 'Blues' scored at least one goal.
Possible starting lineups:
"Barcelona": Victor Valdes; Gerard Pique, Javier Mascherano, Carles Puyol; Sergio Busquets, Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Cesc Fabregas; Alexis Sanchez, Lionel Messi, Pedro;
"Chelsea": Petr Cech; Ashley Cole, John Terry, Gary Cahill, Branislav Ivanovic; Raul Meireles, Obi Mikel, Frank Lampard; Ramires, Juan Mata, Didier Drogba;"
