If Chelsea go and beat Barcelona at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night, then there's no reason why Enzo Maresca's men should be ruled out of lifting the European title next May. A 2-0 win over Burnley in the league on Saturday means the Blues have become Arsenal's closest challengers, and the title dark horses tag remains well intact.
Maresca's men made relatively easy work of the Clarets on the weekend, and the Italian was able to rest one or two ahead of Barca's visit. The Catalans are one of Europe's toughest sides and one of the red-hot favourites to win the Champions League.
It's important that Maresca gets his team spot on against a Blaugrana team that is faring well but yet to reach their peak domestically and in Europe. There are five players he knows he can't head into that game without naming in his starting XI if he wants to get the three points.
5 no-brainer starters for Chelsea vs Barcelona
Reece James
There might not be a better right-back in the Premier League than Reece James who has rid himself of fitness issues to live up to the hype with spectacular performances this term. His injury troubles are the only flaw and he is proving to be the top candidate to be Thomas Tuchel's starting right-back come next summer's FIFA World Cup.
James is the first name on Maresca's teamsheet and that's not just because he wears the captain's armband. It's going to be key for the Blues to deal with Barca's attack but also using their skipper's playmaking brilliance is vital going forward.
The 25-year-old is unlikely to be dealing with Marcus Rashford on the night as the on-loan Manchester United attacker remains ill. This could mean Hansi Flick continues with Alejandro Balde out on the left and his pace needs dealing with.
Moises Caicedo
Maresca rested Moises Caicedo in the Burnley win after he'd spent the past week representing Ecuador over in South America. It was a call that could pay off for the Barca game as the Blues will have a fresh Caicedo who is tasked with handling one of Europe's most highly-regarded midfields.
Pedri isn't expected to be risked tomorrow which is great news for the west Londoners as the Spanish youngster is arguably the La Liga heavyweights' best midfield talent. But that doesn't mean the Ecuadorian won't be busy trying to break up the visitors' play with the likes of Frenkie de Jong and Marc Casado looking to control proceedings.
Enzo Fernandez
This feels like the season when Enzo Fernandez manages to live up to his £106 million price tag and the Argentine will relish proving his worth against Barca. He put in a brilliant display against Burnley and his goal took his tally for the season to five goals across competitions.
Fernandez will be another midfielder who must prevent the Catalan giants from gaining their rhythm at the Bridge. But he needs to be brave to help Maresca's men when attacking, make clever runs that catch out the Barca backline who looked vulnerable against Club Brugge in a 3-3 draw last time out.
Marc Cucurella
Marc Cucurella might have the most difficult job of any Chelsea player on Tuesday when he tries to stop football's top superstar Lamine Yamal. On the positive side he knows the 18-year-old well as they starred in Spain's Euro 2024 win and continue to feature for La Roja.
The unfortunate news is that Yamal continues to rip it up in La Liga and unlike Estevao his manager has put his faith in him as the Catalans' star man. He has six goals and eight assists in 12 games across competitions.
It's simply the number one priority for Cucurella at the Bridge to nullify Yamal's threat. He is the best man for the job of any player in Maresca's squad though unless you use James as a makeshift left-back.
Joao Pedro
While Estevao does warrant a start it doesn't feel as though Maresca is willing to put pressure on the 18-year-old and that includes starting him in a game of this magnitude. But his fellow Brazilian, Joao Pedro, should be starting, and not only that, doing so by spearheading Chelsea's attack.
Liam Delap is struggling at the start of his career in west London and did nothing against Burnley to suggest he can bully the Barca defence. But lining up with a front three of Pedro, Estevao and Pedro Neto could give the visiting side all sorts of problems.
But of those three the one who should be guaranteed a starting role is Pedro. He thrives in big pressure moments and games and will look to replicate his FIFA Club World Cup exploits against another European powerhouse.