5 things to look forward to when Chelsea take on Barcelona 

The UEFA Champions League has always been about excitement, thrill and goal-studded matches, with superstars in action. Last week, the fans were treated to an entertaining encounter between Real Madrid and PSG and this week, there's Chelsea's clash against Barcelona to look forward to.

The two have shared a great rivalry in the Champions League and expect them to once again go at it hammer and tongs when they take to the pitch tonight.

---

#1 Will Messi's goal-drought against Chelsea end?

Will the G.O.A.T score against Chelsea this time out?

Lionel Messi maybe one of the best players of all time, but he has still not been able to breach Chelsea's defence. Having played eight games against Chelsea, he has taken 29 shots against the Chelsea custodians. Yet, he has failed to score against them.

He missed a crucial penalty back in the semi-finals of the 2011-12 edition, as Chelsea eventually went on to win the tie and the competition. Head Coach Antonio Conte will hope the drought will continue.

Chelsea will have a tough time in dealing with the Argentine, who is known to break records every other game.

#2 The history between the two sides could make it entertaining

Champions League Semi-Final 2009 was a hugely controversial match

Chelsea and Barcelona fans share quite a bitter relationship with each other. They have gone head-to-head 12 times, with Chelsea winning four compared to Barcelona's three while five games have been drawn.

Who can forget the controversial semi-final match of 2009, when erroneous refereeing shocked the footballing world? The match of 2009 was officiated by referee Tom Henning Ovrebo, who still claims he gets hateful messages from the Chelsea fans.

Barcelona haven’t been able to forget the heartbreak of the semi-final in 2012 when Fernando Torres skipped past Victor Valdes to score the goal, and send the Blue Army into raptures. Only time will tell, how this tie will turn out.

#3 Messi vs Hazard

The two are yet to face off in competitive club football

They are their team's heartbeat, the creative force that drives Barcelona and Chelsea respectively and are superstars in their own rights. Diminutive, yet lethal players, Messi and Hazard skip past players with ease, before finishing the move with a well-deserved goal.

Both are immensely difficult to mark and contain, because of their low centre of gravity. The last time they met each other as opponents was in the 2014 FIFA World Cup, which Argentina won by a 1-0 margin courtesy of a Gonzalo Higuain goal.

Whoever has a bigger impact could end up on the winning side come full-time.

#4 Former Barca stars have a point to prove

Cesc Fabregas

A product of Barcelona’s famous La Masia youth academy, Fabregas was signed up by Arsenal in 2003, and he took the Premier League by storm. He made a return to his boyhood club in 2011 and won every possible title during his second stint with Barcelona.

Chelsea came calling in 2014 and the Spaniard moved and played an important part in the side's Premier League triumphs in the 2014/15 and 2016/17 season. It will be all too emotional for Cesc when he faces his boyhood club

It will be nostalgic for Pedro as well, who rose to prominence at Barcelona in 2011, becoming one of the best players in Spain and winning every possible title with his club, before he switched over to Chelsea in January 2016. Since then, he has won the Premier League with the Blues.

#5 Battle of the heavyweights

FC Barcelona Training Session

We are talking about two European heavyweights, who have won a lot of silverware in the recent seasons, both domestic and international. Chelsea has been very dominant in England in the last ten years. Barcelona have done the same, be it with more style.

Both Chelsea and Barcelona have immense attacking wealth in their squads, and it will be interesting to see how they perform. Kante vs Busquets, Fabregas vs Iniesta, Morata vs Suarez, Pedro vs Rakitic, Christensen vs Umtiti and Courtois vs Ter Stegen. This should be enough to give football fans a delight.

Only time will tell, who will win this tie heavily-anticipated by fans around the world.