Chelsea Women are on a terrifying collision course.
The Blues have made it through to the quarter-finals of the Women’s Champions League for the second consecutive year.
Chelsea went unbeaten in their group to proceed to the knockout stages[/caption]
They face one of this year’s underdogs Ajax across two legs, with the first meeting taking place on Tuesday 19 March from 5:45pm.
But while Chelsea can feel confident they are capable of getting the better of the German side, the frightening prospect is what could lie ahead in the semi-final.
Victory in their quarter-final against Ajax will most likely see them face the giants of the Women’s Champions League: Barcelona.
Barcelona take on another of this year’s surprise teams, SK Brann, in their quarter final and while the Norwegian side have done well to make it this far, beating Barcelona would be the result of the season.
The last time Barcelona did not make it to a semi-final was in 2018.
And their intimidating lineup includes names including Alexia Putellas, Aitana Bonmati, Keira Walsh, Lucy Bronze and Salma Paralluelo – to name just a few.
Emma Hayes’ side will not relish the thought of meeting them in this competition.
They already have some agonising memories associated with Barcelona in this competition.
Ballon d’Or reigning champion Bonmati is a terrifying opponent in midfield[/caption]
Chelsea came close indeed to lifting the Women’s Champions League trophy in 2021.
But their hopes came crashing down in the most disastrous fashion in the final.
It was Barcelona who so badly spoiled their party, scoring four goals within the first 36 minutes to seal the deal and take the title.
Chelsea – who had been so convincing in the run-up to the final – were dismantled in a way that would leave scars.
Since 2021, they have not yet made it back to the final – and their quest for European glory goes on.
But for Blues’ boss Emma Hayes, this year marks her last chance to finally get her hands on the one elusive trophy that is lacking from her Chelsea collection.
The side are still on track for the coveted quadruple – a feat which has only ever before been achieved in England by the Arsenal Women’s side of 2006/7.
It is no secret that the Women’s Champions League is most likely to prove the sticking point in Chelsea’s quadruple mission.
Barcelona have won the Champions League twice[/caption]
The other big threat will be 8-time winner Lyon – who Chelsea could meet in the final[/caption]
With European big hitters Barcelona and Lyon the only two clubs to have won the competition since 2016, winning the tournament has always been a tough ask for English clubs.
But there are some reasons to be optimistic for Chelsea.
Lyon and Barcelona – dominant thought they may be – are the only two former winners left in the tournament now.
This year’s edition has seen a number of regular success in the Champions League suffer shock early exits, including Arsenal and Wolfsburg.
The former did not even make it through to the group stages after failing to make it through the pre-qualifying round and Wolfsburg were knocked out in the qualifying rounds.
And one area where Chelsea are certainly not lacking in talent is within their squad ranks.
Barcelona’s lineup may be frightening – but the likes of Lauren James, Fran Kirby and Catarina Macario are hardly any less so.
For Hayes – who takes nothing for granted – the focus will undoubtedly first be on Ajax and on getting the job done to reach the semi-finals.
Their newest star Macario has scored in both of her first two games for the Blues[/caption]
But if Chelsea manage to do that, then banishing the demons from their 2021 nightmare defeat to Barcelona might well prove as important as their performance on the pitch.
You can tune into talkSPORT’s Women’s Football Show on talkSPORT 2 on Mondays from 7pm.