Chelsea players attempt to regroup after going 7-1 down on aggregate before half-time in their semi-final second leg against Barcelona last season
Women's Champions League: Chelsea v Barcelona
Venue: Stamford Bridge, London Date: Thursday, 20 November Kick-off: 20:00 GMT
Coverage: Watch on BBC Two & BBC iPlayer, commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live & BBC Sounds, live text commentary on the BBC Sport website & app
Erin Cuthbert accurately sums up the recent Women's Champions League contests between her Chelsea side and Barcelona when she describes them as "some good, some bad, some more bad to be honest".
For the fifth time in six campaigns, the champions of Spain and England will meet in European competition when they face-off in the league phase at Stamford Bridge on Thursday.
It might be deemed a rivalry between two of the biggest teams on the continent by some, but that would indicate an equality that has been conspicuously absent.
In their seven meetings since 2021, Barcelona have won five, scoring 16 goals to Chelsea's four.
It includes the 2021 final where the Spanish side won 4-0 with all four goals coming in a dominant first half.
The sides have met in the semi-finals of the last three Champions League seasons, with Barcelona progressing from every two-legged affair.
Chelsea did lay a glove on Barca in 2024, winning the first leg 1-0 in Spain, but were beaten 2-0 at home in a controversial return where defender Kadeisha Buchanan was sent off for the Blues.
The gap was bigger than ever last season, where Barcelona won 8-2 on aggregate - 4-1 both home and away - and Chelsea were fortunate to concede only eight in a tie where they were conclusively second best.
Scotland forward Cuthbert, who will make a record-extending 54th Champions League appearance for Chelsea should she feature on Thursday, has more experience of dealing with their opponents than anyone.
"I think it's always a fierce rivalry, it's always fiercely contested in midfield," she told BBC 5 Live. "There's always a few scraps going on, but I think you need to be super organised when you play against Barca.
"You need to not jump out of spaces, they like to play a lot of short passes. It's important that you don't get drawn to the ball because they're intelligent players."
'Compared to the stats of last season we are underachieving'
Erin Cuthbert is the only woman to score a winning goal for Chelsea against Barcelona
Now they meet again and, based on the stats, the gap has only grown in the last few months.
Chelsea's semi-final thrashing last season came towards the end of a domestic campaign where they swept all before them. Sonia Bompastor led them to a treble, while they became the first side to complete a 22-match Women's Super League season unbeaten.
In 2024-25, Chelsea only dropped points in three WSL matches. So far this term they have failed to win three of nine league games already.
"We are not where we want to be, we always want to be at the top," Bompastor told her pre-match media conference on Wednesday. "We know what we need to do, now turning words into actions.
"We need to be efficient and clinical, create opportunities and big chances. Compared to the stats of last season we are underachieving, we are not happy when we don't win games."
Apart from a shock league defeat by Real Sociedad on 2 November, Barcelona have been their usual all-conquering selves.
They have won every other game this season - including a particularly eye-catching 7-1 thumping of Bayern Munich to open their Champions League campaign. In Liga F, they have scored 51 goals in 11 games, conceding twice, to sit six points clear at the top.
"We expect to have a tough game in moments, with not as many opportunities as in some other games," added Bompastor.
"When you play a Champions League game at Stamford Bridge, the motivation is high."
The concerns over Barcelona's squad in the summer - 13 players left on permanent transfers with only two arriving – has abated for now.
The fact that 10 players in their 19-woman first-team squad are in the final year of their contracts - including key figures like Cata Coll, Mapi Leon, Alexia Putellas and Caroline Graham Hansen - is a story for another day.
So how do Chelsea finally earn a meaningful win over Barcelona?
Cuthbert was key to the only time they emerged victorious, scoring in that victory 18 months ago in Spain.
"I remember being up for it from the first minute," she recalled. "The girls were closing spaces well. We weren't jumping out, but I think when the time came to be aggressive and win the ball back, we won the ball back in high areas.
"We spooked them a little bit, and I think they found it difficult to break us down that day. I think everybody was putting their body on the line, I remember everyone was sliding, backs against the wall at times, but it's going to be like that when you play against a top-class side like Barcelona.
"You need to be willing to push yourself to places that you've never went to before."
'I was an absolute mess'
Sam Kerr scored twice as Chelsea beat St Polten 6-0 last week in the Champions League
Both sides are unbeaten after their opening three Champions League matches and will expect to earn two of the four automatic places in the knockout stages available through this season's new format.
Barcelona are second with nine points - a point behind leaders Lyon - while Chelsea sit fifth on seven after their surprise draw with Twente. They are two of the top scorers in the league phase so far - Barca have 14 strikes to Chelsea's 11.
Although they are missing first-choice keeper Hannah Hampton, the Blues have got riches to spare elsewhere.
Forward Lauren James came off the bench against St Polten and Liverpool in the WSL, as she continued her recovery from the injury sustained at Euro 2025.
Bompastor said she would not play 90 minutes on Thursday, but is in a position to start.
England striker Aggie Beever-Jones is also back, however Sam Kerr - who scored twice on her first Chelsea start for 692 days last week against St Polten - will not be risked as she regains full fitness.
Unlike their previous clashes with Barcelona, this is not winner takes all. In a league phase game with less immediately at stake, it appears Chelsea may be able to relax that little bit more.
"It's not an absolute do-or-die game, but of course we want to win," said Cuthbert, 27.
"I do think it's a bit easier to play Barcelona over one leg, to be honest, because I think they make such great tactical tweaks and they're such great players that they'll probably do a lot of analysis and find spaces the second time around when they play them.
"So hopefully we can catch them out by the element of surprise."
They could take a leaf from rivals Arsenal, who beat Barca in last season's final.
Or they could be inspired by Cuthbert's Scottish compatriots, who qualified for their first men's World Cup in 28 years thanks to a remarkable 4-2 win over Denmark.
The epic triumph included incredible goals, including an overhead kick by Scott McTominay and a finish from the halfway line by Kenny McLean.
"I was an absolute mess," admitted Cuthbert, who watched the game with her parents.
"I jumped on my dad when we scored. I thought it was slipping away from us, but to bring it back was amazing."
Asked if she would try to emulate McTominay's exploits at Stamford Bridge, she laughed: "I'd knock someone's head off! I don't care if it goes in off my backside."
