Chelsea vs. Barcelona: Comparing 2009's Matchup with This Year's Semifinal

When Barcelona defeated Chelsea in the Champions League semifinal in 2009, Blues fans left Stamford Bridge with intense anger after their club was not given a number of possible penalty-kick decisions that would have helped them win the second leg and advance to the final.

This year, the two clubs meet again in the semifinal, but the result could be even worse for the Blues.

Barcelona has a stronger starting XI and with more depth on the bench than they had in 2009, while Chelsea has a weaker squad now than they did three years ago.

Let's break down the two clubs compared to their 2009 squads before the first tie in London on Wednesday.

Attacking Talent

Chelsea's Best FWs in '09	Chelsea in 2012	Barcelona's Best FWs in '09	Barcelona in 2012
Didier Drogba	Didier Drogba	Lionel Messi	Lionel Messi
Nicolas Anelka	Fernando Torres	Thierry Henry	Alexis Sanchez
Joe Cole	Daniel Sturridge	Samuel Eto'o	Pedro
Salomon Kalou	Juan Mata	Eidur Gudjohnsen	David Villa (hurt)

Barcelona might not have the firepower at forward that they had in 2009, but in 2012, a lot more of their scoring is coming from the midfield. Messi, however, is playing at a higher level right now than he was three years ago, which is bad news for Chelsea.

When Messi went to Stamford Bridge in 2009 for the second leg, he didn't have a great performance and continued his scoreless streak against English clubs. Now that he's scored goals against Premier League teams in big European matches, his confidence will be high heading into this year's fixture.

Chelsea will need Torres to play well when he steps onto the pitch in this fixture, and he certainly knows Barcelona well since he's played with many of their top stars as part of the Spanish national team.

Midfield

Chelsea's best MFs in '09	Chelsea in 2012	Barcelona's best MFs in '09	Barcelona in 2012
Frank Lampard	Frank Lampard	Xavi	Xavi
Michael Essien	Ramires	Andres Iniesta	Andres Iniesta
Michael Ballack	Raul Meireles	Sergio Busquets	Cesc Fabregas
Deco	Florent Malouda	Seydou Keita	Javier Mascherano

This is where Barcelona has the major advantage in this semifinal. Their midfield corps is far better than Chelsea's, and with Xavi, Iniesta and Fabregas controlling the middle of the pitch, the Blues will expend a ton of energy to gain possession of the ball.

Barcelona's advantage in skill and experience over Chelsea in the midfield will be the difference over the two legs in this semifinal.

Defense and Goalkeeping

Chelsea's best DF/GK in '09	Chelsea in 2012	Barcelona's best DF/GK in '09	Barcelona in 2012
John Terry	John Terry	Carles Puyol	Carles Puyol
Ashley Cole	David Luiz	Gerard Pique	Gerard Pique
Alex	Ashley Cole	Dani Alves	Dani Alves
Petr Cech	Petr Cech	Victor Valdes	Victor Valdes

Chelsea had a strong defense in 2009, but this year they have a bit more athleticism and youth. David Luiz and Gary Cahill have never played at this stage of the Champions League before, so it will be interesting to watch how their inexperience affects them.

Much of Barcelona's defense hasn't changed since 2009, except at left-back because of Eric Abidal's health issues. Gerard Pique is a much better player now and positively affects his club's performance in the defensive third and the attacking third of the pitch.

Alves is arguably a better player now, and is the best attacking wing-back with his effective runs down the flanks thanks to his great speed.

At the goalkeeper position, the matchup remains the same three years later. Valdes has won two Champions League finals since the 2009 semifinal matchup with Chelsea, and is a very confident player. Cech is still a good goalkeeper, but he's no longer world class.

I would give Barcelona a slight edge on defense since they are more experienced and have better all-around skills.

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