Craig Burley makes Arsenal claim after Chelsea’s win over Barcelona | Football

Craig Burley says a ‘much better version’ of the Chelsea team that beat Barcelona will be needed as the Blues prepare to face ‘a different ball game’ Arsenal this weekend.

Chelsea picked up an impressive 3-0 win over Spanish champions Barcelona in the Champions League to boost their hopes of automatic qualification to the knockout stages.

Jules Kounde’s own goal put Chelsea in front and Barcelona’s task became even tougher when captain Ronald Araujo was sent off for a second yellow card before the break.

Estevao Willian continued his stunning comeback with Chelsea’s second goal before summer signing Liam Delap added a third.

The win moved Chelsea up to fifth in the Champions League group stage – the top eight automatically qualify for the knockout stages – while last season’s semi-finalists Barca slipped to 15th.

Burley was impressed with Chelsea’s performance against Barcelona but said they still need to ‘raise their game’ to compete with Arsenal this weekend.

Chelsea welcome the Premier League leaders to Stamford Bridge on Sunday in a huge London derby hoping to cut Arsenal’s lead to just three points.

“Believe it or not, a much better version of Chelsea has to emerge,” former Blues midfielder Burley told ESPN. “They have to raise their game from what we saw tonight to face Arsenal.

“Arsenal will not play like Barcelona tonight. In some ways, this is a tougher test for Chelsea than the game against Barcelona.

“We’ve seen enough of Barca this season – we’ve seen it week in and week out, the poorest teams in La Liga have a chance against them.

“So Chelsea’s win over them wasn’t a surprise – it was a great win, but not a surprise if you watch La Liga regularly.

“If they do something similar to Arsenal then it’s a big statement because Arsenal are clear favorites to go on and win this Premier League.

“The statement for Chelsea has to be at the weekend because Arsenal have a different ball game.”

Another former Chelsea player, Mario Melchiot, believes that Enzo Maresca’s team is capable of ‘snatching’ Arsenal, the team that is the favorite to win the Premier League.

“Chelsea played a very good match despite their one-man advantage,” he said. “But you have to do it again at the weekend, that’s the key.

‘That would be a difficult thing. Do I think it’s possible? Yes, they are home and they feel comfortable at home.

“But Arsenal are very strong at the moment – ​​we’ll see how they do against Bayern Munich, but I still pick Chelsea and think they can achieve it because they’re in a good mood at the moment.

“Enzo Maresca prepared very well for this match, when it comes to Arsenal and Arteta, they know each other very well.

“The game against Arsenal will be difficult but when playing at home, they have to take advantage because Arsenal will come to play.”

Pedro Neto’s 70th-minute equalizer earned Chelsea a 1-1 draw against Arsenal in this game last season after Gabriel Martinelli broke the deadlock.

Mikel Merino scored the only goal of the game as Arsenal snatched a narrow win over Chelsea in their reverse fixture.

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