Watch – Several Chelsea stars eager to face Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League | OneFootball

After last season’s heartbreak against Inter Milan in the semifinal of the UEFA Champions League, Barcelona restart their campaign for European glory later tonight.

While the new season will officially kick off only next month, the draw later today will give Hansi Flick and Co. the names of the opponents they must get past in the league phase of the competition this season.

After all, the new format of the competition which begun last season has done away with the old group system and sees high-octane matchups right from the get-go.

Chelsea players’ common dream

Speaking to Chelsea’s official social media in a recent interview, several players of the Blues’ squad were quizzed on which team they would like to play against in the league stage of the UEFA Champions League.

One constant theme that stood out in their responses ahead of the draw, needless to say, was their common dream to play against Hansi Flick’s Barcelona.

Of the many players who were quizzed on the topic by the social media team, Marc Cucurella, Enzo Fernandez, Reece James, Pedro Neto, Robert Sanchez and Malo Gusto all unanimously picked Barcelona as their dream opponent.

As the La Liga champions, Barcelona are placed in Pot 1 and will draw two teams each from the four overall pots. They cannot, however, face any Spanish opposition but the chance of facing Chelsea in the league phase is real.

Two of the teams Barcelona will draw from will be from Pot 1, the same pot in which Chelsea lurk.

Given that the Catalans cannot draw Real Madrid, who are also in the same pot, but have an equal chance of drawing any of the seven remaining teams.