De Jong Sparks Barcelona's Push as Chelsea Clash Looms at Stamford Bridge

Team News and Chelsea Clash

German manager Hansi Flick named Barcelona's squad for Tuesday's Champions League clash with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge as Group Five action continues.

Pedri remains sidelined with a thigh injury; Frenkie de Jong returns after missing the Bilbao match, while Rafinha features for the second consecutive game after recovering from injury.

Goalkeepers: Wojciech Szczęsny, Juan García, Diego Cuchín.

Defenders: Eric Garcia, Ronald Araujo, Gerard Martínez, Alejandro Balde, Jules Koundé, Pau Cubarci, Andreas Christensen.

Midfielders: Dani Olmo, Marc Casado, Drew Fernández, Marc Bernal, Frenkie de Jong, Vermín López.

Forwards: Rafinha, Lamine Yamal, Marcus Rashford, Roni Bardji, Robert Lewandowski, Ferran Torres.

Pedri has suffered a thigh injury since late October after the Clasico at the Bernabéu and is in the final stretch of recovery, but the staff prefer to avoid risk during a crucial period.

Balde is also available after leaving the pitch in the first half of Saturday's match against Athletic Bilbao.

Barça travels to London at 15:45 local time, with Flick and Rafinha scheduled for a pre-match press conference at 19:45 Spanish time. The team aims to show their best against Chelsea on Tuesday.

London Trip and Match Prep

Flick keeps the routine: morning training in Barcelona, then travel to London after lunch in the city’s sports complex and delaying media duties until game day at Stamford Bridge.

The squad is expected to land in London in the afternoon, and the coach will discuss De Jong and Rashford's return, among other topics, at the pre-match conference.

Barça arrives in high spirits after positive results, but knows this clash demands peak performance from the Blaugrana.

Pedri: Rise of a Star

Pedro González López, known as "Pedri," is one of football's brightest young talents, noted for his calm demeanor and smart midfield vision.

He rose from Las Palmas' academy to the first team, making his professional debut in 2019 at 16 and quickly establishing himself as a key player for club and country.

Born in 2002 in Tegueste, Canary Islands, Pedri grew up in a football-loving environment and joined Las Palmas' academy in 2018, where he matured rapidly.

Coaches fast-tracked him to the first team at sixteen, and his professional debut came on August 18, 2019, making him the youngest Las Palmas player in the Spanish second division at that time.

On September 2, 2019, Barcelona agreed to sign Pedri from Las Palmas, a deal worth up to around €22 million with variables, officially joining the Catalan side in 2020.

Pedri quickly adapted to Barcelona's tiki-taka style under Koeman and became a key player in his first season, delivering mature performances beyond his years.

He is celebrated for his dribbling, precise passing, visionary playmaking, and relentless work rate, drawing comparisons to club legend Andrés Iniesta.

Honours, Individual Accolades and International Rise

Despite his youth, Pedri has already collected numerous trophies with Barcelona and Spain, including six titles: two La Liga crowns (2022/23, 2024/25), two Copa del Rey trophies (2020/21, 2024/25) and two Super Cups.

Individually, he earned global recognition in 2021 as Europe’s Golden Boy and the Kopa Trophy winner; he was named to the Euro 2020 Team of the Tournament and was hailed as the competition’s best young player.

Pedri featured in all of Spain’s matches at Euro 2020, helped the Olympic team secure silver at Tokyo 2020, and later contributed to Spain’s Euro 2024 success. Despite ongoing physical challenges, he remains central to managers’ plans and is regarded as one of the world’s best midfielders for his football intelligence and tempo control.

Punchline time: If football were a sniper duel, Pedri’s passes would be the headshots—calm, precise, and somehow always on target. And Chelsea’s defense? Let’s just say they’d better bring a map, because Barca’s clever movement keeps turning every route into a detour to goal-ville.

Punchline 2: Barca’s tactics are so sharp even their substitutions come with a warranty—“if it doesn’t work in 10 minutes, we’ll swap you for a genius.”