Barcelona vs Juventus matchday preview, possible line-ups and head-to-head.

Preview

Rotated Blues to end Group Stage on a high

Olivier Giroud’s masterclass in Sevilla last week secured the top spot for Chelsea in Champions League Group E, and Frank Lampard can use this as an opportunity to rest key players ahead of a hectic festive schedule.

However, with such extraordinary squad depth at his disposal the Blues are still huge favourites to claim the three points at Stamford Bridge, and that comes as no surprise.

Chelsea have won their last four Champions League games since their matchday one stalemate at home to Sevilla, while third placed Krasnodar come into this game having lost three of their last four group stage fixtures.

The Russians are out of the running for knockout stage qualification, but a three point lead and a better head-to-head record means they are guaranteed third place.

What we can expect at Stamford Bridge is goals. Chelsea have seen at least three goals in each of their last four Champions League matches, scoring 13 and conceding just once. Three of Krasnodar’s last four fixtures in the competition have also been high scoring affairs, so we’re backing over 2.5 goals here.

We do predict a Chelsea win as well as they head into this match having won eight of their last nine in all competitions. They have scored at least three goals in six of these games and, with Krasnodar scoring in four or their five group games this season, a 3-1 correct score prediction appeals.

Team News

Barcelona

Barcelona are expected to miss Ousmane Dembele, Gerard Pique, Samuel Umtiti, Sergio Roberto, and Ansu Fati through injury.

Juventus

Juventus have travelled for the match without Merih Demiral, Giorgio Chiellini, and Sami Khedira.

Key stats

The last match between the two ended in a 2-0 away victory for Barcelona.

The Catalans have won three and lost two of their last five matches while the Italians have registered four wins and a draw in the meantime.

In total, Barca and Juve have met 11 times, with Blaugrana winning on five occasions and losing twice; four games ended in draws.

Probable line-ups

Both man (Barcelona): "Our goal is to win every game. We want to top our group. We have a three-point advantage and we have a lot of chances to do it. Tomorrow we will line up a strong team because we want to win. With the injuries and how La Liga is going, we need a strong team, but also fresh."

Andrea Pirlo (Juventus): "I feel ready for the match against Barcelona, those were the easiest games to play in and I think they will be the same as a coach. Certain matches change your season in terms of confidence, we’re going there to win."

Prediction

SportsMole's Matt Law: Barcelona 1-1 Juventus

"Both managers are exected to select strong teams for this match despite the fact that the two sides are already through to the next round. Barca's Champions League form this season has been excellent, but we fancy Juve to secure a share of the spoils at Camp Nou on Tuesday night."

90min's James Merrills: Barcelona 3-2 Juventus

"With both teams likely to still field big-name players, we can expect an exciting game and a long-anticipated meeting between Messi and Ronaldo. Both sides are missing key players, meaning managers are forced to plug gaps with younger players. This bodes well for attackers as potential chinks in the armour could offer a way through on Tuesday."