Chelsea entertain Barcelona tonight in one of the most high-profile matches of a blockbuster week in the Champions League.
Arsenal also host Bayern Munich on Wednesday in a battle between the two form teams in Europe, and Tottenham are off to Paris, but first attentions turn to Stamford Bridge for another heavyweight clash of European giants on matchday five.
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Chelsea are out to make a significant statement on home soil, having risen to second in the Premier League table at the weekend with a 2-0 win over promoted Burnley.
Their Champions League form has been a touch inconsistent so far this season, with a 1-0 home win over Jose Mourinho’s Benfica - in which they finished with 10 men - and 5-1 thrashing of Ajax bookended by an opening 3-1 loss to Bayern and shock 2-2 draw with Qarabag in Baku in which their blushes were spared by Alejandro Garnacho.
Barcelona head to west London sitting a point behind arch-rivals Real Madrid at the summit of LaLiga, hitting four past Athletic Club in their first game back at the revamped Camp Nou since May 2023 and then watching the leaders held by 10-man Elche.
Hansi Flick’s side have won three in a row since losing the latest Clasico, though last season’s beaten semi-finalists also needed to work hard to avoid a surprise defeat in their last Champions League encounter as they thrice went behind in a 3-3 draw with Club Brugge in Belgium.
Barca - with Manchester United loanee Marcus Rashford in top form - previously smashed Olympiacos 6-1 and also beat Newcastle thanks to Rashford’s heroics, though they shipped a late winner at home to holders Paris Saint-Germain.
Why isn't Chelsea vs Barcelona on TNT Sports tonight?
The biggest Champions League tie this evening is not live on TNT Sports, as most of the games in European competition typically are.
That is due to the current shared broadcasting rights agreement for Champions League football in the UK, which sees Amazon Prime Video getting the first pick to screen one live match on Tuesday nights, up until the semi-finals.
They have chosen Chelsea vs Barcelona this week, with Inter Milan vs Liverpool also coming up from the San Siro on December 9. Coverage at Stamford Bridge starts at 6:55pm GMT ahead of an 8pm kick-off.
The majority of Champions League fixtures remain live in the UK on TNT Sports on a deal that runs until 2027, with the BBC showing free-to-air highlights on Wednesday nights.
However, Paramount+ recently won the rights to show the competition in the UK from 2027 in a deal worth more than £1billion. As part of that agreement, Amazon Prime Video will still show a first-pick game live on Tuesday nights, with the BBC retaining their highlights package.
Sky Sports, meanwhile, won the rights to show the Europa League and Conference League in the UK from 2027, taking over from TNT Sports.
