Barcelona begin the tie as favorites, though are wary of the threat that Chelsea can pose after a grueling and controversial meeting between the sides at the same stage of the Champions League in 2009.
It will be a tie with very few goals where small details will decide which team makes it to the final, Guardiola has said, according to the official Barcelona website.
The key team news for Chelsea is that Roberto Di Matteo has selected Didier Drogba ahead of Fernando Torres to lead the line. The Ivorian striker was infamously the player most visibly incensed after the semi-final with Barcelona three years ago and even earned a ban from UEFA due to his strenuous remonstrations.
Chelsea are without center-back David Luiz for the first-leg, meaning that January signing Gary Cahill comes in for what is surely the biggest game of his career to date. With Frank Lampard in midfield, it means that Di Matteo has reverted to the classic spine of the Chelsea team of John Terry, Lampard and Drogba.
And Guardiola spoke of the quality of that trio before Wednesday's match.
We're playing against a very good team. Lampard, Terry, Drogba... they are very important players, Guardiola said, according to the official Barcelona website.
While there was some concern about the fitness of Xavi, after the midfielder was taken off at the weekend, the playmaker supreme is named in the Barcelona team. However, Gerard Pique is only named among the substitutes, with Javier Mascherano partnering Carlos Puyol in the center of defense. Further forward, Cesc Fabregas and Alexis Sanchez are the men charged with supporting Lionel Messi.
Chelsea confirmed team: Cech, Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Cole, Meireles, Mikel, Lampard, Ramires, Drogba, Mata.
Barcelona confirmed team: Valdes, Alves, Mascherano, Puyol, Adriano, Busquets, Iniesta, Xavi, Fabregas, Messi, Sanchez.







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