Chelsea Women v Barcelona, massive UWCL second leg preview

Despite being down by a goal heading to the coast of Spain, Chelsea is still very much in this UWCL semifinal tie as it seeks to pull off an improbable comeback.

It was by no means perfect, but the first leg performance provides Chelsea with a chance. In front of what should be a crowd of at least 90,000 fans at Camp Nou, Barcelona will hope that its home crowd can assist them in finishing off some of the chances missed at Stamford Bridge.

In the semifinal leg at Camp Nou against Wolfsburg last season, Barca had a crowd of 91,648 as they obliterated the German powerhouse 5-1, completely putting the tie out of reach with another 90 minutes left to play. While the 2014 Champions League winners defeated the Spanish side in the second leg, the margin created in front of over 90,000 strong was far too much for the Germans to overcome. The good thing for Chelsea is they are not down four goals heading into the second leg of the tie.

The 2021 Champions League winners have a tendency to score early in front of this kind of environment. In the Wolfsburg tie in 2022, Barca netted two goals within the first 10 minutes, deflating the Germans before they could even get a foothold in the match. Against Roma last month on home soil, Swedish international Fridolina Rolfo netted a forceful right-footed goal in the 11′ past the I Giallorossi’s goalkeeper Camelia Ceasar.

Coming out with a reinvigorated type of energy in the first 25 or 30 minutes could shock the home side just enough where the crowd will be less of a factor. If the scoreline remains the same after about 35 minutes, the Blues have a shot at equalizing against a Spanish side that has lost just five Champions League games since September 2019.

Jonatan Giraldez’s squad is like an unfair fantasy team. Their depth compared to the west Londoners is quite jarring. Barca brought their leading scorer on the season Asisat Oshoala off the bench in the second half with her team already holding a lead. Giraldez did not even utilize his only player this season with double digit domestic goals to go along with four or more assists, Claudia Pina.

Without Millie Bright and the experience of winning Champions Leagues that Kadeisha Buchanan can add, there is a much smaller margin of error for the Blues. Giraldez’s team has won by an average of 4.25 goals at Camp Nou in Europe this season, allowing just one goal. Roma’s late goal was scored with the match already very well in hand in the second half of the quarterfinal. From the opening whistle, the west London outfit has to be locked in both defensively and going forward.

Coming out with a purpose from the opening whistle is going to be vital for Chelsea Women if they have any chance at progressing to the final.

Lauren James has to get the starting nod in the second leg as her creativity has the ability to put the home side’s backline on their heels. Pernille Harder may not start given how little she played in the first leg, but when she does come on, Chelsea has to be able to take advantage of that.

Whether it is perfectly timed runs past the defense or a precise tackle in the defensive third, everything has to be on point for Hayes’ side to pose a chance heading into the last 45 minutes of the tie. Maren Mjelde and the back three did a phenomenal job keeping the potent Barca attack at bay during the first leg, but with the team down by a goal, there is going to have to be some sort of risk being taken.

Barca’s goal scoring on the road compared to on the coast of Spain is like night and day. They feed off of arguably the best crowd in women’s football around the world. The highest attendance for a domestic women’s football contest in England is just under 48,000 at the Emirates earlier this season.

The Blues will be walking into a stadium with double that amount. Even if the result does not go their way this time around, the experience this club will gain from playing in an environment like that will be second to none.

This is where Hayes has always envisioned her side being when she took over the club over 10 years ago. Under the lights at one of the biggest football stadiums in the world for a chance at a spot in the Champions League final.

That is why you play football. Giraldez’s team may be the favorite to win the title in Eindhoven in early June, but the odds on favorites does not always end up finishing where they are supposed to. With their backs against the wall as over 90,000 fans root against them, Hayes’ side has the opportunity to pull off what could be the most shocking upset in UEFA Women’s Champions League history.