‘A much better version’: Craig Burley warns Chelsea must improve on Barcelona win to beat Arsenal

Chelsea beat Barcelona 3-0 in the UEFA Champions League at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday evening with a magnificent performance.

Enzo Maresca’s side dominated throughout the fixture, and the scoreline could have been more emphatic if not for three disallowed goals.

The victory has raised optimism that Chelsea could secure another significant result when they host London rivals Arsenal on Sunday.

However, former Blues midfielder Craig Burley believes his former side must produce a better performance to beat Mikel Arteta’s side.

He told ESPN FC: “A much better version of Chelsea will need to turn up, believe it or not. They’ll have to raise their game from what we saw against Barcelona if they want to compete at the weekend.

“In some sense, that will be the acid test for them. And look, this is Barcelona — we’ve seen enough of them this year. So this is not a surprise win for Chelsea if you watch La Liga regularly.

“But if they were to produce something similar against Arsenal, it would be a huge statement, because we know Arsenal are clear favourites to go on and win the Premier League at the moment.

“The real statement for Chelsea has to come at the weekend. Enjoy the victory, great performance, but Arsenal are a different ball game.”

Arsenal are a better side than Barcelona, and Maresca will be aware of this heading into Sunday’s showdown.

The Italian tactician has already shown that he can get Chelsea to deliver big performances against European heavyweights.

Before Tuesday’s victory, Chelsea had defeated Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup final against all odds and beaten Premier League reigning champions Liverpool.

While Arsenal will provide another stern test, Chelsea will remain unfazed and confident of securing another statement result.

A victory would move the west London side to within three points of the league leaders, setting up a fascinating contest.