The week ahead is a defining one for Chelsea Football Club

As the season approaches its finish line, the upcoming week has a lot riding on it for the men’s and women’s team of Chelsea Football Club. Both Thomas Tuchel and Emma Hayes are on the verge of massive achievements, but such is the unpredictability of football, both of them could end up with huge disappointments, as well.

The men are still in the hunt for the top four of the Premier League, in the semifinals of the Champions League and into the FA Cup final. Meanwhile, the women are fending off title challengers Manchester City for the FA Women’s Super League. Hayes’ side is also in the UWCL semifinals and the fifth round of the FA Cup.

The women are behind after their 2-1 first leg defeat away to Bayern Munich. Injuries to key players have seen the team known for its tight defense struggling. Jess Carter, who replaced Maren Mjelde, has risen to the challenge to show why she was rated so highly as a youngster. Regardless, the injury to captain Magdalena Eriksson is what affected the Blues the most. The last two matches against Bayern Munich and Manchester City saw them unusually conceding goals due to their poor defending. Millie Bright, without her defensive partner, was at fault for City’s goals. The left side—guarded by Jonna Andersson—was exploited particularly by both City and Bayern. She backed away so much that it allowed Hanna Glas more than enough room near the Chelsea box to score the winning goal in the first leg of the Champions League.

Many of the players in the team looked extremely tired toward the end of the match, while the German players were showing none of it. It was also very odd to see Pernille Harder, the most expensive player in women’s football who has experience of playing them, getting substituted much early in the second half. It was the case against Man City also. Despite her goals, Sam Kerr can squander big chances. If she had struck the back of the net against City very late into second half stoppage time, Chelsea’s lead over City in WSL would have increased to five with just two games remaining. Until last week, there was no doubt in anyone’s mind about Chelsea’s chance of a historic quadruple. Even though the Blues are still very much favorites, they just can’t afford to drop any points against both Reading and Spurs on Wednesday and next Sunday respectively.

They also have work cut out if they are to make it past Bayern Munich and into the UWCL final for the first time. The away goal could be crucial if the match plays out as tight as it was on last Sunday. Three very important matches to tackle this week where if everything goes right, they will have defended their WSL title successfully with a historic first UWCL final to look forward to.

Concurrently, the men’s team will host London rivals Fulham on Saturday before visiting Manchester City next Saturday in the Premier League. With no less than four teams behind them completely focused on taking the final Champions League spot—currently occupied by the Blues—any setback can be fatal for Tuchel’s side. In between those fixtures, there is the second leg of the Champions League semifinals, which could go either way, despite the away goal scored by Christian Pulisic. All three matches present different challenges, but under Tuchel, Chelsea has shown more than enough quality to finish the week still in the driver’s seat for a top finish. Moreover, if the Blues’ performance against Real Madrid in the first leg is anything to go by, they will book their ticket to Istanbul to face either PSG or Manchester City in the Champions League final.

How much silverware do you think the two Chelsea sides bring home in the coming weeks? Let us know in the comments!