Champions League: Chelsea destroys Barca, can Arsenal respond against Bayern?

Chelsea stun Barcelona in UCL; Arsenal face Bayern test; Man City & Newcastle fall; Premier League giants gear up for huge weekend fixtures.

Arsenal has the chance to respond to Chelsea's signals on Wednesday when they face Bayern at the Emirates. (Photo credit: Opta)

Ahead of the juggernaut fixture in the Premier League on Sunday between Chelsea and Arsenal at the Stamford Bridge Stadium, the Blues have sent a strong warning to the log leaders after a stellar night against Barcelona in the Champions League on Tuesday night.

Chelsea took Barcelona to the cleaners, and for once, they look like true world champions, thanks to the diligent performance of their teenage sensation Estevao and an all-round expression of brilliance by the entire Chelsea squad.

While a red card to Ronald Araujo helped the Blues, you can’t take anything away from the tactical masterclass of Enzo Maresca and how the boys interpreted his directives. Will they be able to deliver the same level of quality against Arsenal at the weekend?

Manchester City was home to Bayern Leverkusen in the Champions League on Tuesday, and Pep Guardiola took the opportunity to rotate his squad roundly. You wonder why, as the Citizens are home to Leeds United in the league on Saturday.

The German side ran over a much-changed City side, scoring in both halves to win 2-0, and the introduction of Phil Foden, Erling Haaland and Jeremy Doku in the second half didn’t change anything. Manchester City must now win their remaining games while hoping results go their way to finish in the top 8.

Newcastle was the third of the Premier League trio to play on Tuesday night, and despite scoring first, the Magpies surrendered to two Pierre Emerick Aubameyang early second-half goals to lose the game 2-1. Anthony Gordon returned to the game, but it wasn’t enough.

On Wednesday, it’s the turn of the top 2 on the Champions League log to do battles and, it’s a measure of how strong both sides are; Arsenal will be home to Bayern Munich, all stats favor the two to win the Champions League this season, will they both give us a show?

The Gunners have the chance to prove that they’re back as a force in Europe, while Bayern Munich hasn’t lost a single game this season, and whoever wins this one can easily go on to win the group phase of the Champions League. This is the game to watch on Wednesday.

PSG plays Tottenham for the second time this season after the penalty shootout win for Luis Henrique’s side in the Super Cup earlier in the season. Tottenham, fresh off their humiliating defeat at the Emirates, need a strong result to restore faith in their squad.

Liverpool wraps up Premier League participation in the Champions League this week with a game at Anfield against PSV Eindhoven. The Kops are in a bad place after another loss at home against Nottingham Forest last weekend. Can they win here to halt the rot?