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Chelsea team news: Giroud starts against Barcelona

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has handed a start to Olivier Giroud as his side take on Barcelona at Camp Nou.

The January signing from Arsenal has only previously made three starts for the Blues and is preferred to Alvaro Morata up front.

He will be flanked by Eden Hazard and Willian, with former Barca winger Pedro left on the bench.

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Elsewhere, club captain Gary Cahill misses out with Antonio Rudiger fit to start, having missed Saturday's win over Crystal Palace.

The only other change from the victory over the Eagles sees Victor Moses return on the right-hand side in place of Davide Zappacosta.

Barcelona, meanwhile, hand a start to Ousmane Dembele, with the €105 million summer signing from Borussia Dortmund making just his second European appearance of an injury-hit campaign.

He is joined in the starting XI by Andres Iniesta, who is fit having missed Saturday's win over Malaga with a hamstring injury, while Lionel Messi returns having missed the same game to attend the birth of his third child.

The last-16 tie is locked at 1-1 from the first leg, with Messi having netted a crucial away goal following Willian's opener at Stamford Bridge.

Barcelona: Ter Stegen; Roberto, Pique, Umtiti, Alba; Dembele, Rakitic, Busquets, Iniesta; Messi, L Suarez.

Subs: Cillessen, Vidal, Vermaelen, Digne, Gomes, Paulinho, Alcacer.

Chelsea: Courtois; Azpilicueta, Christensen, Rudiger; Moses, Kante, Fabregas, Alonso; Willian, Hazard, Giroud.

Subs: Caballero, Cahill, Zappacosta, Emerson, Bakayoko, Pedro, Morata.

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