As unlikely as it sounds, Lionel Messi is still waiting to score his first goal against Chelsea after drawing a blank in eight previous Uefa Champions League matches. The five-time World Player of the Year is likely to get another chance to break his duck this week.
The teams have produced some epic games in the past although they have not met in the Champions League since Chelsea pulled off a remarkable backs-to-the-wall semi-final victory over Barcelona on the way to winning the trophy in 2012.
Messi missed a penalty in the second leg at Camp Nou as the London club overcame the first-half dismissal of captain John Terry, and a 2-0 deficit, to draw the game 2-2 and secure an unforgettable 3-2 aggregate win.
Richard Jolly joins Steve Luckings on the phone to give his analysis and predictions of this, as well as the other first-leg last 16 ties: Sevilla v Manchester United, Bayern Munich v Besiktas and Shakhtar Donetsk v Roma.
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Read more:
- Preview: Barcelona's Lionel Messi aims to score against Chelsea at ninth attempt
- Champions League talking points: Chance for Chelsea and Manchester United to complete dominant week for Premier League clubs
- Conte says Chelsea need to be 'perfect' to stop Barcelona and Lionel Messi
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