Chelsea vs Barcelona Prediction: Yamal’s assist stats suggest 13/5 is a BIG price

A Champions League tie to send us back to the mid 00s awaits us on Tuesday evening as Barcelona make their way to Stamford Bridge to reignite memories of a couple of genuine Champions League classics of yesteryear. This is the Amazon Prime Video Game of the Week with kick-off set for 20:00.

Our La Liga Betting Expert previews this one and thinks we could well be in for an entertaining affair. You can check out his top two top Chelsea vs Barcelona Predictions right here on Betfred Insights...

Sports Welcome Offer

New customers only. Deposit via Debit Card & place first bet £10+ (1/1+) on Sports in 7 days. £30 Sports & £20 Acca Free Bets within 10 hrs of settlement. 7-day expiry. Eligibility, payment excl. & T&Cs Apply.

Sports Welcome Offer

New customers only. Deposit via Debit Card & place first bet £10+ (1/1+) on Sports in 7 days. £30 Sports & £20 Acca Free Bets within 10 hrs of settlement. 7-day expiry. Eligibility, payment excl. & T&Cs Apply.

*For all of our Football Odds then head on over to betfred.com

Match Preview: 

Chelsea and Barcelona meet in the Champions League for the first time in more than seven years on Tuesday night. The sides have contested some memorable knockout ties in the past, but much has changed at both clubs since the most recent clash. 

Barça were 4-1 aggregate winners over the Blues in the round-of-16 in the 2017/18 season, with Leo Messi scoring or assisting all four of their goals in that tie. The Catalans can also reminisce on iconic strikes by Andrés Iniesta and Ronaldinho on Champions League trips to Stamford Bridge in the 2000s. 

However, their overall record against Chelsea is actually pretty unimpressive in recent times. Barcelona haven't won on any of their last four trips to West London, while they've won just one of the last nine meetings home or away. Chelsea fans will be hoping that's a good omen heading into Tuesday's encounter. 

Enzo Maresca's side are in good form, with eight wins from their last 10 games in all competitions. They returned from the international break in positive fashion, with a 2-0 win at Burnley in the Premier League on Saturday. Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernández grabbed the goals either side of the break. 

The Chelsea boss will be pleased to see his team sharing the goals around nicely. Neto and Fernández are their joint-top scorers in the league with four goals, along with João Pedro. Meanwhile, youngster Estêvão leads the way in the Champions League with two goals. 

With attacking threats coming from across the pitch, they've managed to cope reasonably well with Cole Palmer's injury, and the lack of form of striker Liam Delap. 

At the halfway point in the league stage, Chelsea are on seven points in Europe, with a 2-2 draw against Qarabağ a notable setback earlier this month. Barcelona have an identical record, with both sides currently outside those all-important top eight positions. 

There was also away disappointment for Hansi Flick's side on matchday four. The latest in a series of jittery defensive displays saw them draw 3-3 away to Club Brugge, while their other dropped points in Europe came courtesy of a 2-1 home defeat to PSG in October. 

Barcelona's last two performances have been much better, though. They won their final La Liga fixture before the international break 4-2 away to Celta Vigo, with Robert Lewandowski scoring a hat-trick. 

The veteran striker needed just four minutes to get on the scoresheet on Saturday, as Barça marked their long-awaited return to Camp Nou with a dominant 4-0 win over Athletic Club. With 45,000 fans in attendance, it was a positive day all-round for the Spanish champions, who have also now been given clearance to host their remaining European fixtures at their partially-built new stadium. 

On the pitch, there are still areas where Flick's team do look weak. They'd gone 10 matches without a clean sheet prior to Saturday's match, which saw Gerard Martín feature in central defence, with Eric García deployed in a holding midfield role. 

Team News: 

This is a massive week for Chelsea, who also take on Premier League leaders Arsenal this coming Sunday. Palmer remains the most notable absentee, although he is getting closer to fitness again. Roméo Lavia, Dário Essugo and Levi Colwill are also currently sidelined with injuries. 

Reece James was substituted at the interval at Turf Moor, although Maresca has confirmed that was a planned change, and he will be available on Tuesday. 

As for Barcelona, they were able to welcome back Joan García at the weekend following a lengthy lay-off. He should continue between the sticks here, although fellow keeper Marc-André ter Stegen remains sidelined. Midfielders Gavi and Pedri are also unavailable due to injuries. 

Marcus Rashford didn't feature at the weekend due to a bout of the flu, but is hoping to be available. He has already scored twice in England this season in the Champions League against Newcastle. The Manchester United loanee will face competition from Raphinha, who made his return from injury off the bench against Athletic. 

Chelsea vs Barcelona Predictions: 

There's little to choose between the teams in the Match Result market. Chelsea are the slight favourites at 11/8, while Barcelona can be backed at 13/8. The Draw is priced at 13/5. 

This means when we flip to implied odds - Chelsea are rated as a 42% to win the match, Barcelona are given a 38% chance to emerge victorious with the draw a 28 possibility.

Match Odds: 

If you're expecting a big performance from the hosts, you can back Chelsea to win and Over 2.5 goals at 15/8. The Blues are also on offer at 6/1 to win both halves. 

Alternatively, you can back Barça to score in both halves at 7/4. The visitors are priced at 4/5 to score over 1.5 goals in the game. You can also back Barcelona to win and Both teams to score at 11/4. 

There are plenty of potential goal threats on each side. Robert Lewandowski is the 9/2 favourite to score first, while the 37-year-old is on offer at 23/20 to score anytime. Ferran Torres is also fresh from a weekend brace, and the Spain international is priced at 6/4 to get on the scoresheet. 

From a Chelsea perspective, you can back Delap to end his goal drought and score anytime at 6/4. Meanwhile, Pedro is priced at 13/8 to score a goal. You can also back the Brazilian to register an assist at 7/2. 

*You can see all of our Chelsea vs Barcelona Odds and betting markets over on betfred.com

Chelsea vs Barcelona Prediction 1 - Chelsea to score over 1.5 goals & João Pedro 2+ shots @ 21/20 

It's possible that Chelsea may opt to leave Delap on the bench, and return to playing Pedro up top in this game. Either way, the Brazilian should offer a goal threat, and he's had 10 attempts in his last three club appearances. 

Even the likes of Brugge and Sevilla have made Barcelona's defence look very ordinary at times this season. Flick's high-risk approach does frequently leave them vulnerable to counter-attacks and through balls. That has contributed to the Catalans conceding at least twice in each of their last four away games across all competitions. 

With the home team in good form in front of goal, I'm using the Bet Builder to back Chelsea to score over 1.5 goals and João Pedro to have 2+ shots at 21/20. 

Chelsea vs Barcelona Prediction 2 - Lamine Yamal assists a goal @ 13/5 

Barcelona caused a stir in Spain by scheduling Lamine Yamal for minor groin surgery during the international break. His national team boss wasn't best pleased by that, but his club certainly reaped the rewards, with the winger providing two sublime assists for Ferran on Saturday. 

With Pedri out, there is a bit more onus on the teenager to drop deep and play an even bigger role in his team's creative play. Yamal has created more goals than he has scored during his career to date, and that trend has continued this term. 

He's already on 10 assists across 14 appearances for club and country in the 2025/26 campaign. Given those stunning numbers, Yamal looks good at 13/5 to assist a goal in this match. 

Football - Bet Builder Offer

Opt in. Bet Builder single (3/1+) on any UCL game after 20:00 23/11/25. 3+ legs. 100% stake back. Max £10 Free Bets if you lose for Bet Builders. No Pre-built Builders. Paid in 24hrs. Removed 01/12/25. T&Cs Apply.

Sports Welcome Offer

New customers only. Deposit via Debit Card & place first bet £10+ (1/1+) on Sports in 7 days. £30 Sports & £20 Acca Free Bets within 10 hrs of settlement. 7-day expiry. Eligibility, payment excl. & T&Cs Apply.

Mark Sochon P/L 25/26 Season:

• Points Staked: 91
• Points Returned: 89.11
• P/L: -1.89

You can check out Mark's Football Betting Tips along with those from the rest of the Betfred Insights Football writers on our Football home page...