Chelsea vs. FC Barcelona: Statistics Ahead of Crunch Champions League Semifinal

Two giants face off on Wednesday when Chelsea hosts Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League semifinal first leg at Stamford Bridge. The game will be shown live on FX (2 p.m. ET).

During a press conference call today, Fox Soccer analyst Warren Barton had plenty to say about the marquee matchup.

Barton on Chelsea's crowded schedule:

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"It's not going to be easy for [Chelsea], but that's what being successful is all about. That's why you have a deep squad of players to tackle all of these games. That said, Chelsea is an older team, and they will need to be motivated. The chance to be in a UEFA Champions League Final could be the last roll of the dice for some of these guys—that's a major incentive."

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Barton on the overall Champions League picture:

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"These are four of the biggest clubs in the world. You've got one of the top Barclay's Premier League clubs in Chelsea, two Spanish powerhouses in Real Madrid and Barcelona, and this German machine in Bayern Munich. For fans of the world's game, this is an incredible opportunity to see these sides compete against one another."

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Match Statistics

Barcelona is playing in its fifth consecutive Champions League semifinal, the longest run in the history of the competition (since the tournament was renamed in 1992-1993). 

Chelsea and Barcelona have each reached the semifinal stage of the competition six times in the last nine seasons (since 2003-2004)—the best tallies in that period. 

Chelsea and Barcelona have played each other 10 times in the UEFA Champions League, with each side winning three times. The other four games were draws. 

Both have played each other 10 times in the UEFA Champions League, with each side winning three times. The other four games were draws. 

In the knockout stages of the competition, Barcelona has progressed three out of four times over Chelsea. 

Chelsea has never lost in the semifinal round at Stamford Bridge (two wins, three draws). 

Lionel Messi is the first player to score 14 goals in a single UEFA Champions League campaign. He has 32 goals in his last 27 UCL games. 

Chelsea is the team that Messi has played most against without scoring (six games, zero goals). 

* All statistics courtesy of Opta.