Chelsea continue their quest to win a first European title when they take on Spanish giants Barcelona in a UEFA Women’s Champions League semi-final, first leg tie at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
The Blues are bidding to reach a second UEFA Women’s Champions League final, their previous final appearance resulting in a 4-0 defeat to Barcelona in Gothenburg in 2020/2021.
Ahead of Chelsea’s latest European tie, FAWSL Full-Time have reviewed the match statistics provided by UEFA. Here are three facts to note ahead of the Stamford Bridge showdown.
Chelsea’s unwanted tag
Chelsea are the only side left in this season’s UEFA Women’s Champions League who are yet to lift the trophy. Opponents Barcelona have won the trophy once in 2021 while the two other semi-finalists have also been champions of Europe in the past. German club VfL Wolfsburg won the competition back-to-back in 2013 and 2014 while Arsenal won the old UEFA Women’s Cup in 2007.
The South West Londoners are still seeking European club football’s biggest prize following a number of frustrating UEFA Women’s Champions League campaigns and they will want to end the hurt this year.
Chelsea’s solid record against Spaniards
Chelsea’s 4-0 defeat to Barcelona in the 2020/2021 final is their only loss to Spanish opposition (W2 D2). The Blues have won 2-0 in both of their previous home European games against Spanish opposition. Emma Hayes’ side defeated Atlético Madrid in March 2021 and Real Madrid in November 2022.
One negative is that Barcelona have won four of their last five games against English opposition (L1), scoring four goals in each of their last three matches.
Guaranteed goals?
Chelsea have scored in all eight of their games in this season’s competition while opponents Barcelona have only failed to score in two of their last 43 UEFA Women’s Champions League matches. A goalless draw is highly unlikely with more than 25,000 fans at Stamford Bridge set to be entertained.
Chelsea’s UEFA Women’s Champions League semi-final, first leg tie against Barcelona kicks-off at 12.30pm on Saturday afternoon. Tickets remain on-sale and can be purchased by clicking here.
Source: UEFA Information Kit
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