One of the main reasons as to why this game is so heavily anticipated is the breadth of young talent that will be on the pitch at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday evening. Lamine Yamal is the pick of the bunch, with the 18-year-old enjoying another stellar campaign.

Yamal has registered three goal contributions across his three matches in the Champions League so far, taking 12 shots across these games (4.24 per 90), with four of these attempts finding the target (1.41 per 90). One notable difference from Yamal’s overall approach this season is that he is a bit more selfish when it comes to taking aim, he already averaged 4.53 shots per 90 in LaLiga last term - but this has risen further to 5.10 shots per 90 this season. 

Another notable difference is that Yamal is finding the target more regularly, with 1.62 shots on target per 90, compared to the 1.48 he averaged in the same division last term. Yamal can extend his strong shot on target record here against a Chelsea side that still look a bit insecure at the back, and are likely to come under a blizzard of Barcelona attacks at some point in the contest. 

Moises Caicedo is arguably Chelsea’s most important player. You could make a case for Cole Palmer, or even Enzo Fernandez this season, but looking at how Chelsea have managed to cope without Palmer - Caicedo’s absence would definitely have a more marked impact.

You can see this when Chelsea play without Caicedo. A team more clinical than Burnley would have punished Chelsea with the amount of space they left in midfield last time out, with Caicedo rested for that game. That being said, Andrey Santos did fill in very well for Caicedo in the second half, showing how deep Chelsea’s squad is.

Caicedo has won 17 fouls across his 11 appearances in the Premier League this season (1.62 per 90) and regularly maintains a high foul won count, with his press resistance and ability to weave out of tight situations. Caicedo has won a further three fouls in the Champions League this campaign (0.87 per 90).

Barcelona like to press high and will target Caicedo specifically here, with Fermin Lopez likely to be his main opponent. Lopez was courted by Chelsea during the summer, but a move failed to materialise - he’s committed 12 fouls across his nine appearances in LaLiga (1.97 per 90), as well as picking up two yellow cards across his three appearances in the Champions League.

Goals have been near guaranteed in every game this season when Barcelona take to the field, 16 of their 17 matches across all competitions have seen at least three goals - the exception being a 1-1 draw with Rayo Vallecano at the start of the campaign. It’s notable that Barcelona have kept just four clean sheets across their 13 matches in LaLiga, and none in the Champions League, with their most recent assignment being a 3-3 draw.

Maresca likes Chelsea to control games, but that may be out of the question here when considering the nature of Flick’s side. Chelsea have seen 3+ goals in three of their last five matches across all competitions, and are likely to be dragged into a high scoring affair here, with Barcelona relying on their attacking output to drag them through gamesm as their backline is very unsettled at the moment.

I can’t bring myself to back Barcelona for a result at the moment, Flick’s style means that their brilliant attacking play is always put at risk by a ridiculously high defensive line, which opponents have been able to exploit. This was evident in Barcelona’s most recent Champions League assignment as they drew 3-3 with Club Brugge, allowing the Belgian side to register an xG of 2.14 from just 10 shots.

This has been a recurring issue for Barcelona this season, they have not kept a clean sheet in the Champions League so far. They constantly allow sides to generate high quality chances with the space they offer in behind their backline, which is so tempting for players to run beyond. Chelsea have the perfect wingers to exploit this, with Garnacho, Estevao and Neto offering brilliant workrate and speed down both flanks.

Chelsea have only suffered three defeats at Stamford Bridge this calendar year, and I think Maresca will have a plan to exploit Barcelona’s risky approach. Only Valencia (15) and Mallorca (14) have conceded more goals on the road than Barcelona in LaLiga this season, highlighting the extent to which Hansi Flick’s side are struggling to keep sides out.

Estevao has quickly become one of Chelsea’s most exciting players, with the 18-year-old enjoying another fantastic international break with Brazil, netting against both Senegal and Tunisia to take his international tally to five goals across 11 caps.

Maresca has been selective with using Estevao, which is a smart approach, he’s still only 18 and while he looks to be quite a humble character - it’s important that Maresca manages the emotions of this young squad. He’s done that really well so far with players like Palmer, James and Fernandez, with Estevao in line to be the next to benefit from this considered approach.

Estevao has scored two goals in the Champions League so far, showing that he can step up to the biggest occasions, and has also made an early habit of popping up in crucial moments. Estevao scored in each of his three starts for Chelsea just before the international break, with two of these starts coming in the Champions League. He currently leads the Chelsea squad when it comes to combined xG + xA in the Champions League, with a tally of 2.90.

I’m really excited to see the battle between Yamal and Cucurella. The Spaniard can be an acquired taste with some of his antics on and off the field, but what is undeniable is how effective he is in 1v1 duels. Very rarely will you see a winger get the better of Cucurella, with the 27-year-old maturing into one of the Blues’ most important players.

Cucurella has committed 15 fouls across his 12 appearances in the Premier League this season (1.37 per 90) and is an aggressive fullback that likes to get touch tight to his opponent. Yamal will challenge him regularly, having won 14 fouls across his nine appearances in LaLiga this term (1.74 per 90), as well as maintaining an average of 2.82 fouls won per 90 in the Champions League.

It’s also worth looking at Cucurella to pick up a card in this encounter. While he is effective in shutting down the opposition winger, he also finds himself in situations where he is having to scamper back after pushing up into the left half space as an adventuring fullback. This results in Cucurella having to make tactical fouls, often resulting in a caution.

Rashford has a really good record against Chelsea, which could come to the fore here. Many will remember his knuckle ball free kick at Stamford Bridge when he was at Man United, which is one of a few occasions where Rashford has caused Chelsea real problems.

Rashford has found his feet at Barcelona, and his shot record is really promising for this selection. He’s had 39 shots across his 12 appearances in LaLiga (4.35 per 90), with 14 of these attempts finding the target (1.56 per 90). It’s worth noting that 17 of these shots have come from outside of the box (43%).

He has shown his best form for Barcelona in the Champions League, with five goal contributions across his four appearances in the competition. He’s averaging 4.68 shots per 90 across these matches, which is consistent with his output domestically.