Barcelona at Chelsea 2/20/18 - Champions League Picks & Predictions

Two very old rivals will clash against one another once again in the Champions League, when Chelsea will play host to Barcelona. This is one of Europe's most enduring rivalries, and the two teams will lock horns after six years, with this being the thirteenth time that they meet one another.

Chelsea have found themselves in the round of 16 for the thirteenth time in their history, and they have a 8-4-0 record to show. The last two times that they reached this stage was back in 2014/15 and 2015/16, where they lost both times against Paris Saint Germain. Chelsea have played ten two-legged knockout ties against Spanish clubs (W4 L6), most recently in the 2013/14 Champions League semi-finals when they lost to Atletico Madrid. Chelsea have already faced Spanish opposition in this season's competition, taking four points from their two Group C games against Atletico Madrid. That settled their record at home against Spanish visitors at 9-2-5. Barcelona return to the round of 16 for the thirteenth consecutive time since 2004/15, having progressed on eleven of those occasions. Both defeats came against English opposition, a 2005 loss to Chelsea, and an away-goals reverse against Liverpool two years later. Barcelona's last trip to England was a 1-3 defeat at Manchester City last season, that ended a three-game winning run on the road against Premier League clubs. Their overall away record against English clubs stands at 9-15-8. Moreover, Barcelona have won 13 of their 23 two-legged ties with English clubs. A 2012 defeat by Chelsea is the only reverse in their last seven contests.