Chelsea vs. Barcelona: Marcus Rashford decision made as Blaugrana confirm strong squad for Stamford Bridge battle

On-loan Manchester United attacker Marcus Rashford has returned to the Barcelona squad for Tuesday's Champions League clash against Chelsea.

Rashford missed out against Athletic Bilbao on Saturday due to an illness, with a fever preventing the England international from training on Thursday or Friday ahead of the La Liga fixture.

However, the 28-year-old has been cleared to return to the squad for the European fixture with Chelsea.

Rashford has impressed for Barcelona in the Champions League this season, scoring four goals and registering two assists in four appearances in the competition.

Meanwhile, the attacker has six goals and nine assists in 16 outings in all competitions for Barcelona this term, with the Englishman in strong form since making the move to the Catalan giants on loan from Man United.

Rashford back in Barcelona squad for Chelsea clash

Joan Garcia and Raphinha both made their returns from injuries in the 4-0 win over Athletic, and the pair are once again included in the squad for the European contest.

Pedri has not made it, with the midfielder still absent due to a thigh problem, although the Spain international is now not far away from returning to the squad.

Barcelona will also be missing Gavi and Marc-Andre ter Stegen due to injury, but Frenkie de Jong returns to the squad after missing out against Athletic due to a La Liga suspension, while Alejandro Balde has been cleared to feature despite suffering a head injury in the team's last match.

Hansi Flick's side have picked up seven points from their four matches in the league stage of the Champions League, which has left them 11th in the overall table, just ahead of Chelsea.

How has Rashford performed against Chelsea?

Rashford has faced Chelsea on 21 occasions in all competitions during his time at Man United and Aston Villa, boasting a record of seven wins, eight draws and six defeats, while he has netted six goals and registered five assists against the capital side.

The forward has never tackled Chelsea in the Champions League, with all of his encounters with them coming in the Premier League, FA Cup or EFL Cup.

Rashford's last appearance against the Blues came while on loan at Villa in the second half of the 2025-26 campaign, helping Unai Emery's side to record a 2-1 win courtesy of two assists.

Barcelona squad vs. Chelsea

J Garcia, Szczesny, Kochen; Balde, Araujo, Cubarsi, Christensen, Martin, Kounde, E Garcia; Fermin, Casado, Olmo, De Jong, Bernal, Dro; F Torres, Lewandowski, Yamal, Raphinha, Rashford, Roony