Chelsea will face, arguably the toughest test of their season so far, when they welcome FC Barcelona to Stamford Bridge this week. This is a classic rivalry in the Champions League, with so many memorable contests between the two sides in the past. And with them set to meet again after so long, both set of fans have high expectations from this matchup.
Unfortunately for Chelsea, they will be without Cole Palmer on the day. The Englishman had looked on course to be available for the contest before fracturing his toe, which has further delayed his return to the pitch.
On the other hand, Barcelona have their problems as well. It looks like Pedri might end up missing the game against Chelsea, even though it had earlier been reported in the media that he was going to be available.
As reported by MARCA (via Sport Witness), there’s ‘serious doubt’ over Pedri's availability for the game. The midfielder didn’t train with the squad on Sunday.
Barcelona superstar misses training before Chelsea game
Pedri suffered a hamstring injury towards the end of October. He has not featured for Barcelona since then. And even if he ends up recovering in time to be available against Chelsea, he is most likely going to be an option on the bench and not someone who will be starting.
This is an advantage for Chelsea. Pedri is one of the best midfielders in the world and could have cause them problems in the middle of the park.
That being said, Chelsea's midfield has a ton of quality as well. Moises Caicedo got a rare day off against Burnley and should be well rested before taking on Barcelona. Enzo Fernandez's transformation into a goalscoring midfielder has continued as well with him finding the back of the net at the weekend. And then there was the stellar performance from Andrey Santos.