Heading into the break: Chelsea Women get Champions League draw

The Blues would go on to beat Bayern Munich in the semifinals and advance to the club’s first Champions League final against Barcelona. With that final now under its belt along with the addition of even more depth and quality at every level, Hayes hopes this is the year to achieve the dream she has had since taking on the job 10 years ago. The previous campaign was a step in the wrong direction considering the consistent improvement the club had made each season, from making the semifinals in back-to-back years to rebounding following COVID-19 to beat Wolfsburg for the first time and finish as the runners-up in the competition.

For 10 months, Hayes and the rest of the Blues have had to sit and ponder what happened that night at AOK Stadion, but with a new draw, and a new season comes another opportunity to place the group stage elimination in the rearview mirror. While Chelsea does not have the task of Barcelona, Lyon, or even the Gunners in its way to begin its European campaign, an Alberto Toril-led side has that motivation following its collapse to Barcelona in the semifinals of last season’s Champions League. Acquisition of former Manchester City midfielder, Caroline Weir, and the 20-year-old French international Naomie Feller, Madrid no doubt will want to rebound after having a finals appearance ripped out of its hands following a five-goal explosion by the Barcelona attack in the second leg.