Chelsea vs Barcelona - UWCL preview: TV channel, live stream, team news & prediction
Chelsea and Barcelona will get the 2022/23 Women's Champions League semi-finals going this weekend when they go head to head in the first leg in London.
This is a repeat of the 2021 final in Gothenburg, which saw Barcelona lift the trophy for the first time thanks to a comprehensive 4-0 annihilation that was over as a contest in little more than 20 minutes.
That game made the rest of Europe stand up and take note of Barcelona, while Chelsea continue to search for their elusive first Champions League title.
Emma Hayes' side reached this stage by forcing a penalties against Lyon with a 127th aggregate equaliser from the spot last time out, eventually prevailing in the shootout. Jonatan Giraldez's Blaugrana had a more straightforward task against Roma.
More than 25,000 tickets have been sold for this game, which should make for a good atmosphere.
Where to watch Chelsea vs Barcelona on TV/live stream
- When is kick off? Saturday 22 April, 12:30 (BST)
- Where is the match being played? Stamford Bridge
- TV channel/live stream? DAZN UEFA Women's Champions League YouTube
- Referee? Jana Adamkova (CZE)
Chelsea team news
Millie Bright hasn't featured since the quarter-final first leg against Lyon. She was forced to pull out of the England squad earlier this month and remains out for 'weeks'. Fellow centre-back Kadeisha Buchanan has also been nursing a problem and is ruled out of this one.
Chelsea are still missing Fran Kirby, but Pernille Harder was back in the matchday squad for their FA Cup semi-final win over Aston Villa last weekend.
Barcelona team news
Alexia Putellas has travelled with the squad to London as she nears her return from an ACL injury suffered last summer, but is not yet in contention to play. It might not be long, though.
Claudia Pina is back after missing the last month, while Mariona Caldentey made here return to action off the bench in last weekend's Liga F win over Atletico Madrid, having been out since February.
Chelsea vs Barcelona score prediction
Chelsea have had to dig deep and rely on squad depth in recent weeks, having had an extraordinarily busy schedule since the start of March that shows no sign of relenting. There were times they looked a spent force against Lyon in the quarters, but somehow rallied just enough to get through it.
Chelsea again managed to grind out another win when not at their best against Aston Villa to reach a third successive FA Cup final, but in Barcelona will face a very different kind of opponent.
The only thing that could count against Barcelona is not having regular tests. Their last Liga F win was their 60th consecutive win in the competition since losing to Atletico Madrid in June 2021 - since the start of that 2020/21 season, they have taken maximum points in 88 of the 89 league games played.
But the return of Alexia Putellas to the travelling squad, even if not the matchday squad, is likely to provide a psychological boost. Barcelona also have a point to prove in Europe following last season's failure to retain their crown with defeat in the final against Lyon.