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Chelsea logo
Champions League | Round of 16
Feb 20, 2018 at 7.45pm UK
 
Barcelona logo

1-1

Willian (62')
FT(HT: 0-0)
Messi (75')

Antonio Rudiger: 'We must be prepared for Barcelona'

Rudiger: 'We must be prepared for Barca'
© Offside
Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger says that his team need to be "mentally ready" to face Barcelona in the Champions League on Tuesday night.

Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger has said that his team need to be "mentally ready" to face Barcelona in the Champions League on Tuesday night.

The Blues will welcome the Spanish giants to Stamford Bridge for the first leg of their last-16 tie.

Barcelona are seen by many as the favourites to overcome the reigning Premier League champions, but Rudiger has said that home advantage could be key as Chelsea look to take a positive result into the return fixture.

"Football is played out on the pitch for 90 minutes, it is not what happens before," Rudiger told the London Evening Standard.

"Anyone who has fear or something like that should not play. You have to be mentally ready when the referee blows the whistle. That's it. I'm ready for them. My respect for them is good, but once the referee blows the whistle I will always try to win my games.

"Everyone knows what kind of quality [Lionel] Messi has. But we have to take this match. We are playing at home and it could be an advantage for us. When I was younger, I was dreaming about playing in a game like this. I think everyone does. I played against them before with Roma, but now I'm with Chelsea."

Chelsea will enter Tuesday's match off the back of a 4-0 win over Hull City in the fifth round of the FA Cup.

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Barcelona forward Lionel Messi celebrates scoring during his side's Champions League group game against Juventus at the Camp Nou on September 12, 2017
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Group A

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Germany Germany32107
Q Switzerland Switzerland31205
3 Hungary Hungary31023
4 Scotland flag Scotland30121

Group B

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Q Spain Spain33009
Q Italy Italy31114
3 Croatia Croatia30212
4 Albania national flag Albania30121

Group C

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Q England flag England31205
Q Denmark Denmark30303
Q Slovenia Slovenia30303
4 Serbia Serbia30212

Group D

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Q Austria Austria32016
Q France France31205
Q Netherlands Netherlands31114
4 Poland Poland30121

Group E

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Q Romania Romania31114
Q Belgium Belgium31114
Q Slovakia Slovakia31114
4 Ukraine Ukraine31114

Group F

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Q Portugal Portugal32016
Q Turkey Turkey32016
Q Georgia Georgia31114
4 Czech Republic Czech Republic30121


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