Clash of the Titans
Jose Mourinho's men have been drawn to face their Spanish rivals in the last 16 of the competition for the second successive year.
It immediately sparked memories of last season's ill-tempered affair which ended with the Chelsea coach being fined and banned for two games by UEFA after he accused Swedish referee Anders Frisk of talking to Barca coach Frank Rijkaard in the Nou Camp tunnel at half-time.
But Kenyon was not interested in covering old ground when UEFA paired both teams against each other in one of the ties of the round.
"Relations between the clubs are very good, we've always had a good relationship with Barcelona at club level," insisted Kenyon. "Both Barcelona and ourselves believe what happened last year is behind us, and let football do the talking. That's always the best advert isn't it? I'm sure the president of Barcelona feels the same as we do.
"At this stage of the competition you are always going to get a big team, and they don't come much bigger than Barcelona. That's what the Champions League is all about. Look at the other games, Real Madrid v Arsenal and Bayern Munich against AC Milan.
"Where are the small games at this stage? It shows there is no such thing as an easy game and we are looking forward to it.
"We all need to concentrate on what will be incredible football coming to Stamford Bridge and then the Nou Camp."
Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard insisted that revenge will not be on his mind in the round of sixteen.
"It will be an interesting match between two teams doing very well in their leagues. I believe this will be a great match not just for us but for the entire world," he said.
"I always said before the game and after that I have the highest respect for Mourinho and what he is doing with Chelsea," added Rijkaard.
"He is a great coach. In the end every coach wants the same, that is winning and every person does it in his own way. He has the right to act like he wants to act and he is very successful with it so who am I to criticise?"
Meanwhile, Arsene Wenger warned Real Madrid off any interest in himself, Thierry Henry or Ashley Cole after being paired with the Spanish club for the first time in the Champions League knock-out stages.
Wenger has already been named by Madrid president Florentino Perez, who is looking for a long-term replacement for Wanderley Luxemburgo, as one of the coaches he most admires.
The Arsenal boss declared: "There's been a lot going on. We never played against each other on the pitch, only in the newspapers a lot. No-one won that one, though, as Patrick Vieira went to Juventus.
"We've always had big players and they've always wanted them. But we know them well and we have good relations with them. They were not always at the basis of the noises. With big deals, agents often create a lot of unrest.
"I don't think the history between the clubs will have any impact on these games, it will be the players who decide them."
Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein added: "Arsene is very much an Arsenal man and he loves the club. We want to keep him for as long as he wants to stay. There's no change in that situation."
Wenger nevertheless realises the last-16 ties in February and March could help to determine Henry's future, given that the Frenchman will assess the club's potential before deciding whether to sign a new contract next summer.
"I am convinced that we can do it and I see the quality we have," said the Arsenal manager. "The team have to continue to develop, to work hard and fight for their right to be the best.
"I'm convinced that we can be the best and playing Real Madrid maybe comes at a good moment if we continue to develop well. But it's Real Madrid and they have some of the best players in the world, so it will always be a difficult game.
"If the ball gets to Ronaldo, Robinho or Zinedine Zidane, you can never relax completely as you know they can always do something special."
Holders Liverpool will meet Benfica, conquerors of Man Utd, with manager Rafael Benitez already warned his Champions League reign is over.
Benfica coach Ronald Koeman is confident Benitez will follow in the footsteps of Man Utd manager Alex Ferguson by exiting this season's competition.
Koeman said: "Liverpool have a very strong side. They have a powerful defence and they don't concede many.
"Liverpool are favourites, but we eliminated Manchester United so we can dream of getting through to the quarter-finals."
Liverpool face the Portuguese champions in Lisbon on February 21, with the return at Anfield on March 8.
"It is not an easy draw, but it is not the worst either," said Benitez. "There are only good teams left in the competition at this stage and we could have been paired with Bayern Munich, for example.
"There are some very interesting matches coming up in this round just look at Chelsea v Barcelona, Real Madrid v Arsenal and Bayern v AC Milan.
"I'm pleased to have avoided certain teams, but we will face a very tough match against Benfica."
Rangers will also meet Spanish opposition in Villareal.
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