Date: Saturday April 20 Place: Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium To start up: 12:30 GMT Blanket: Listen to the full commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live and follow updates online |
Emma Hayes says she’s ‘not thinking about fairy tales’ as Chelsea prepare to face Barcelona in the Women’s Champions League semi-final.
Hayes leaves Chelsea at the end of the season to manage the United States women’s national team and has yet to win the competition with Chelsea.
Barcelona, who host Chelsea on Saturday, beat the Blues in the 2021 final and the semi-final last season.
“They are world class with incredible players,” Hayes said.
“But I don’t think about fairy tales. [Barcelona] have been one of the best teams in Europe in recent years. They deserve all the accolades they’ve gotten, but it’s a football game. There are two legs. All our work has been to put ourselves in a position to get here in the competition. »
Hayes says it was inevitable Chelsea would have to face Barcelona at some point in the competition
“We are happy that it is our turn in the semi-final. We understand the team and the opponent,” she added.
Chelsea are bolstered by the availability of captain Millie Bright, who has been out since November, and England forward Lauren James, who missed the 3-0 WSL win over Aston Villa on Wednesday.
Hayes said Barcelona had done “incredible things” but hopes other English teams can soon compete more regularly in Europe.
“Look, I think the Barcelona team will go down in history as one of the greatest women’s teams of all time,” Hayes said. “Barcelona are a generation that deserves the credit they get. They have done incredible things on the pitch. People don’t realize how difficult it is to play against them.”
‘Hayes’ legacy will not be defined in the Champions League’
Chelsea midfielder Erin Cuthbert started both matches after being knocked out by Barcelona in the semi-finals last year, but she “can’t wait” to test herself against Europe’s best again.
Around 37,000 supporters are expected at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.
“Every game over the last few months has been like a cup final. It’s a game you have to win, every game,” Cuthbert said.
“I love this part of the season, I thrive on this pressure to play. It brings out a different side of me, a different animal, and I’m really excited to play against some of the best players in the world and show them what I can do too.”
It hasn’t gone as planned so far in Hayes’ final season, with Chelsea having already been knocked out of the Women’s FA Cup, having lost the Continental Cup final to Arsenal earlier this year.
However, they remain level on points with Manchester City at the top of the Women’s Super League table and Cuthbert says Hayes’ legacy “won’t be defined by a Champions League trophy”.
“Nothing more strengthens my commitment to winning a title. If you are a Chelsea player, your commitment is to win every title you play,” Cuthbert added.
“[Emma] has been an incredible servant of women’s football. She single-handedly pushed it forward across the world. We don’t owe it to Emma. We all want to win and if you don’t want to win you shouldn’t be at a club like Chelsea.”
‘We are ready’ for Chelsea’s response
While Chelsea’s quadruple hopes have faded, Barcelona are still on course to win four trophies.
Having already won the Spanish Super Cup, Barça have booked their final place at the Copa de la Reina and are 12 points clear in Liga F.
Boss Jonatan Giraldez, who will leave the Catalan club at the end of the season to take charge of NWSL side Washington Spirit, expects to face a Chelsea side eager to put their recent National Cup disappointments behind them in his quest for European glory.
“They just lost two important titles,” he said.
“This will surely lead them to seek to reverse the situation. We are ready.”