Two polar opposites

The difference between the two teams is stark and if 'Los Cules' could have it their way, they would play the fixture tomorrow given Chelsea's current freefall.

Speculation surrounding the future of Antonio Conte is the first major disparity, with further reports on Tuesday suggesting the board were keen to replace him with Luis Enrique. On the other side of Europe, Valverde's position is secure given the Catalan club's performances this season with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez at the forefront.

In terms of defence, the 'Blues' once solid back-line has been crumbling as of late - conceding seven goals in its last two games. Of that seven, three came in the final 10 minutes of their capitulating 4-1 loss to Watford on Monday. Meanwhile Barcelona, not typically known for being tight defensively, have been a force to be reckoned with thanks to Marc-Andre Ter Stegen and Samuel Umtiti.

However, the biggest difference regards both sides' attack. Just counting Messi and Suarez, the two forwards have accumulated 46 goals so far compared to Alvaro Morata and Eden Hazard's 25. 

Putting team attributes to one side, the final contrast comes from their entry into the elimination stages of the Champions League. Valverde's squad advanced without losing a single match while Chelsea qualified with 11 points and couldn't manage to finish above Roma to top their group. Perhaps if they had been more clinical, they wouldn't have to play the La Liga leaders in the last 16.

Either way, both sides come into the match in total different mindsets. 'Los Cules' will be very confident of their chances after going 22 games unbeaten in the league whereas the Premier League champions will have to bounce back from their shortcomings if they are going to stand a chance of progressing into the next round.

The only consolation for Chelsea is that they still have two weeks until the first leg at Stamford Bridge on 20th February.