Chelsea v Barcelona

On Wednesday at Stamford Bridge sparks will fly, for we are to be treated to the fifth instalment of Chelsea v Barcelona in less than two-and-a-half years when the two sides clash in this Group A Champions League fixture. This may lack some of the intensity of the previous quartet of ties as it's a group game as opposed to a do-or-die knockout, but it will be hugely competitive fayre nevertheless. There were many personal battles taking place within the overall war on the pitch both times that these sides clashed last season, but perhaps the most volatile feud was taking place within the pitch-side technical areas where Jose Mourinho and Frank Rijkaard lock horns. The verbal volleys being bounded from court to court contained little in the way of pleasantries. The Blues knocked Barca out of the penultimate renewal of this competition when beating the Catalan giants 4-2 in south west London. However, the Spaniards sailed in like the Armada last season and outpointed Roman Abramovich's millionaire playthings by two goals to one, before going onto capture what is the most coveted prize in club football. Unsurprisingly, Barca are favourites to retain their crown, although Chelsea are just behind them in the betting, and are actually joint favourite in a place. And something which might swing the pendulum in favour of the home side is the absence of Barcelona's irrepressible hitman, Samuel Eto'o. The Cameroon international, who scored the decisive goal for his side when they beat Chelsea at 'The Bridge' last season, damaged his knee ligaments so badly during Barca's 1-1 draw with Werder Bremen in their latest outing in this tournament that he'll not play again until March or April. Although when looking through Barcelona's squad it reads like a who's who of international football, the loss of Eto'o should not be trivialised. The 25-year-old is one of the most dangerous predators in the game today and, like Thierry Henry of Arsenal, he is able to drop deep, play wide and his overall workrate is second to none. In his absence, Eidur Gudjohnsen, who joined Rijkaard's side for £8million from Chelsea in June of this year, could be among the starting XI for what will be an emotional return to a ground where he plied his trade with distinction for six years. Gudjohnsen could play alongside Javier Saviola with Ronaldinho sitting in the pocket behind them, or either could adopt the lone forward role. Lionel Messi will no doubt be somewhere in the mix too, be it in the starting 11 or if brought on as an impact substitute. Despite winning the lion's share of their games with a bit to spare, Barcelona have not yet hit top gear. They are top of La Liga but not yet top of their games. This remark is has been directed at Brazilian superstar Ronaldinho too. The footballing magician had been accused of not pulling his weight, but he appeared to bounce back by scoring two first-half goals during his side's 3-1 victory over Seville at the Nou Camp over the weekend. The spotlight will once again shine brightly on the 26-year-old. The man of the moment for Chelsea is without a doubt Didier Drogba. With Andriy Shevchenko misfiring, the Ivory Coast striker has taken the lead role with aplomb, and propelled himself to the head of the Champions League top goalscorer market when netting a hat-trick during Chelsea's 3-1 victory away to Levski Sofia on September 29. Frank Lampard has also been a prominent figure in the recent editions of the Chelsea v Barcelona story. The midfield maestro's form was called into question earlier in the season and while he probably hasn't been at his best in recent International matches, this is something which should be attributed to the team as a whole, not him as an individual, and Lampard's form for Chelsea has been extremely good. He will once again be pivotal for Chelsea in this encounter. The Blues come into this match with a good deal of momentum behind them having gained maximum points from their first two matches in this competition and, despite scraping to victory against Reading in the Premiership on Saturday, I reckon that they will be up for this in a major way and if their is a winner in this match, I envisage that it will be Mourinho's charges that come out on top. However, it's going to be a tricky game. It's not in Barca's nature to play for a draw but I feel that a point would be a good result for them, while Chelsea are currently sitting pretty at the top of Group A and although a victory for them would have more value attached to it than the mere three points at stake, I would be surprised if their approach to this game was gung-ho. All things considered, this games looks set to be tight. Don't expect goals aplenty. As such, the best opportunity for punters here is to opt for 0-1 goals in the total goals market at 11/5 with Ladbrokes.