Coca-Cola just spent $5.1 billion on a massive British coffee chain, setting the scene for a battle with Starbucks. Here's how the 2 chains compare.

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Costa Coffee is a major competitor of Starbucks.

• Coca-Cola announced on Friday that it would buy British coffee-shop chain Costa Coffee for $5.1 billion.
• Analysts say the move is likely to have a major impact on Starbucks, especially as it looks to grow in China, a region that both coffee chains are looking to expand in to drive sales.
• Here's how the two chains compare.

Many Americans may have woken up on Friday morning to the news of Coca-Cola's latest acquisition and wondered what on earth Costa Coffee is.

That could change soon. With a US multinational company behind it, the UK-headquartered coffee chain could be on a path to explosive growth around the world.

So far, Costa Coffee has 3,882 stores in 32 countries. It's the UK's leading coffee chain, with 2,467 locations there alone, and it's not uncommon to spot a store on street corners, train stations, and gas stations around the country.

While analysts aren't expecting Costa Coffee to dethrone Starbucks in the US, they are expecting the new $5.1 billion deal with Coca-Cola to allow Costa Coffee to better compete in its international markets and allow the brand to break into the US with its ready-to-drink products in stores.

With this in mind, we decided to compare the two chains: