Chelsea manager Emma Hayes has highlighted the good record of German clubs in the UEFA Women’s Champions League ahead of her side’s meeting with VfL Wolfsburg at Kingsmeadow on Wednesday.
The Blues come up against familiar opponents in their opening group stage match with the two sides having played each other on eight previous occasions in the UEFA Women’s Champions League, VfL Wolfsburg have won five of those meetings.
The She-Wolves have reached the quarter-finals or better in each of the last nine UEFA Women’s Champions League tournaments, a record which was highlighted by Chelsea boss Hayes in her pre-match press conference.
“German teams have had unbelievable results in Europe over the years,” Hayes said. “We respect Wolfsburg as a team, they have recruited and got a new coach. I still think that they are in the early stages of their team development under their new coach.
“What I know about the Wolfsburg team is that they are unbelievably athletic so it will be a high-intensity game.”
VfL Wolfsburg have been dealt a blow in the lead up to the game with forward Ewa Pajor facing a second round of knee surgery followed by months of rehabilitation on the sidelines. Hayes believes that The She-Wolves will miss Pajor but they still boast plenty of quality.
She said “She’s a fantastic player, her pace threatens any back-line, she is one of the best in the world.
“I’m sure for them, she is a big loss but they’ve got a lot of quality, a lot of pace in the wide areas. Like I said, I think they are a team who are still finding their way under their new coach but one thing is for certain, there will be goals.”
Hayes was overcome with emotion after her side finally knocked VfL Wolfsburg out of the UEFA Women’s Champions League last season but she says that the club are feeling calm and confident ahead of their latest showdown with the Germans.
“COVID was tough last year, it was opportunity to express emotion at a time which was a difficult period for everyone, I enjoyed finally getting over that hurdle.
“We feel really seasoned, really calm and confident with what we are doing. I think experience really matters in this competition and we’ve got lots of it.”
The UEFA Women’s Champions League group fixture between Chelsea and VfL Wolfsburg kicks-off at 8pm on Wednesday evening.
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