Chelsea must avoid repeating Champions League history as Barcelona threat clear

When Chelsea crashed out of the UEFA Women's Champions League (UWCL) last season, manager Emma Hayes was under no illusions about the reason why.

«We’re not going through because of the home tie,» she said after her side held Barcelona to a semi-final second-leg draw at the Camp Nou. «It’s very difficult to come here.»

The Chelsea boss was right. The Blues had turned in a valiant display in Catalonia but they had left themselves with a mountain to climb after their 1-0 first-leg defeat at Stamford Bridge. Now, as the two teams prepare to meet again in west London, Chelsea must ensure they do not let history repeat itself.

Last weekend's victory at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys was amongst the most impressive of Hayes' tenure. Captain Erin Cuthbert's stunning first-half strike was enough to give the Blues a slender advantage heading into Saturday's decisive clash but this remains only a job half-done — something Hayes was keen to remind her players of at the full-time whistle.

«I’m not here to break records, no disrespect to Barcelona, but that’s not a trophy for me,» she said after the game. «We’re here to compete for the Champions League and we’re at half-time against the best team in the world, who didn’t have their best game today.»

It was Barcelona's first home defeat since February 2019 and the first time they have failed to score in a game since April 2022. That Chelsea managed to topple the Liga F behemoths in their own backyard speaks volumes about how the Blues' European pedigree has improved since that galling Champions League final defeat in Gothenburg in 2021.

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