Barcelona star Silvinho has criticised Chelsea over the state of the Stamford Bridge pitch.  The sides meet there in the last 16 of the Champions League next Wednesday.

The Premiership champions take on the Spanish giants in the first leg of their showdown amid growing criticism of their mud-heap surface.

Some Barcelona players and officials claim that Chelsea have deliberately delayed repairing the pitch until after next week’s European encounter.

Former Arsenal full-back Silvinho said: "I cannot believe it. I have heard they are making the condition of their pitch worse. I played in England for two years and I’ve heard many complaints about the pitch."

The Spaniards believe Jose Mourinho is hoping the uneven turf will affect Barcelona’s passing game and help Chelsea to gain a first-leg advantage before the return match on March 7th.

Chelsea have ruled out replacing the pitch for the second time in as many seasons and will re-seed the surface in the summer in the hope that it will settle down.