Chelsea can upset the odds and take a draw to Barcelona
Published:Chelsea and Barcelona have a habit of meeting in European competition and will go head to head for the third season out of six in this Champions League semi-final.
Barca are understandably favourites in the first-leg at Stamford Bridge, and are priced at 8/11 to win in London, whilst the home side are at 4/1 to record a victory over the Catalan giants.
Despite the odds favouring a comfortable Barca win, this tie has been a very tight affair over the last few years and it looks fantastic value to opt for an intriguing stalemate this time out, at 7/2.
Four of the last five contests between these two have ended with a share of the spoils and getting behind a draw here looks the sensible option, as Chelsea will be very wary of their impressive visitors, whilst Barca will be eager to not concede in order to avoid any nervy moments back at the Nou Camp.
The Blaugrana recorded a 1-1 draw the last time this fixture reared its head, thanks to a last-minute strike by Andres Iniesta that sent the Spanish club through on away goals after some suspect officiating.
The 1-1 scoreline looks to be the outcome that should draw the most attention this time round, as long as Chelsea can show discipline and deliver a performance mirroring that of three years ago, and at 6/1 it may be worth a punt.
Frank Lampard is a man for the big occasion and he has hit the net three times against the current European champions.
The more adventurous punter should look to Lamapard to strike first in a scorecast with the 1-1 draw, this returns odds of 60/1, a tempting proposition, considering that the same result has occurred in two of the stalemates between the two sides and Lampard has hit three in his last four games for the Blues.
