Chelsea vs Barcelona (UCL, round of 16 first leg): Preview and predictions

Look at the image above. I'm sure you remember exactly where you were, and exactly what you were doing when this happened.

When Fernando Torres found himself in the clear with no Barcelona defender in sight, every Chelsea fan's heart was pounding out of his/her chest. The tension was incredible. Then, when the Spaniard then rounded Victor Valdes and rolled the ball home to take us through to the final, all that tension transformed into mad exhilaration. We all shouted at the top of our voices and went completely ballistic, as did the few thousands in the top-tier of the Nou Camp on that fateful day.

It was a journey like no other, one that culminated in lifting the Champions League, the unachievable holy grail for so long for Chelsea Football Club.

Now, six years later, we're back at the start again, with a dream that would seem completely unattainable were it not for that little voice in our heads that says - "We've done this before, you know?"

Time for Eden Hazard to shine

There is no doubt that the Barcelona team that comes visiting to Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night is far weaker than the one we beat last time around. We've faced the Catalan giants time and time again in the recent past - in 2000, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2012. This may be arguably the weakest outfit out of all those teams.

This is a huge opportunity for Chelsea to cause a big upset against a team that, despite everything, is considered one of the favourites for the title. After all, they still have Lionel Messi, the greatest player of his generation and possibly one of the greatest of all-time. The Argentine hasn't scored in 8 meetings against us, a record that we're well and truly proud of. He notably missed a decisive penalty at the Nou Camp against us back in 2012, at a pivotal moment with the score at 2-1.

If it's Messi on one side, it's Eden Hazard on the other. The Belgian has been the most consistent player in the Premier League over the last 5-6 seasons, and can easily be put in the bracket of the top 10 players in the world. He has somehow never been able to make that leap to be counted alongside Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, but this is his perfect opportunity to shine.

Hazard has played with a different kind of venom in the Champions League so far this year, and will be Chelsea's biggest attacking threat, as always. His recent scoring form has been exceptional, and it's no wonder we're expecting big things from him come Tuesday night.

This is the first time Hazard and Messi are going to take on one another at the club level, and there promises to be some fireworks.



Can Conte get it tactically right?

First of all, here's hoping Gary Cahill doesn't start. His detrimental impact on the first time doesn't need to be overstated. Every time he plays, we look shaky and vulnerable at the back. His indecisiveness on the ball also makes it difficult for us to play out when the opponent is pressing, which Barcelona are going to do. Cahill was important for us in the 1-0 win over Barca at Stamford Bridge back in 2012, but that was a completely different system and style we adopted. In this game, it's important we stay on the front foot and not invite pressure. Antonio Conte should go with his best back 3 - Cesar Azpilicueta, Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger.

We don't have the personnel anymore to let Barcelona attack all game, and have easy and free possession until the final third. With Tiemoue Bakayoko out injured (blessing in disguise?), we only have N'Golo Kante, Danny Drinkwater and Cesc Fabregas as midfield options. We could very well get outnumbered in the centre of the park, something which has happened in the past under Conte. Hazard and the other winger (preferably Willian over Pedro, due to his strength) will have to make up the numbers to provide protection against what looks to be like a midfield three of Sergio Busquets, Ivan Rakitic and Paulinho.

It will be interesting to see if Kante is designated to man-mark Messi, or break play up in midfield. Both these roles will be very vital to stopping Barcelona.

Also, on current form and game time, it would probably be best to start Olivier Giroud over Alvaro Morata. The Frenchman's height and strength will give us an extra dimension in attack, one that has proven to be very useful against the Catalans in the past.

Prediction

This could be a game that really turns around a lot of things for us. Conte has a chance at reprieve after getting his tactics horribly wrong in a couple of recent games. Redemption by beating Barcelona over two legs will be as good as it gets. There is also a very uneasy feeling around the fan base at the moment, in the light of the unexpected defeats against Bournemouth and Watford.

We have a real chance of beating Barcelona. The game will involve a lot of patience, discipline, clinical finishing and maybe even a bit of good fortune. But we can do it. We absolutely need a victory here to take to the Nou Camp in three weeks, to have a chance to qualify for the quarter-finals.

Chelsea 2-0 Barcelona

COME ON CHELSEA!