Both Barcelona or Chelsea may have a spot within the 2023 Ladies’s Champions League last on the finish of 90 or 120 minutes at Camp Nou this week because the pair contest their semi-final second leg.
Barcelona, aiming for a 3rd successive last within the competitors, maintain a slender 1-0 benefit from the primary leg final weekend when Caroline Graham Hansen scored the one objective at Stamford Bridge.
By advantage of that lead and now being at residence, the Catalans are within the driving seat, however it’s not past Chelsea to get again into the tie in the event that they get their techniques proper.
Chelsea had been comfortably overwhelmed by Barcelona of their solely earlier look within the Champions League last in 2021, whereas Barcelona fell to Lyon within the 2022 version.
The massive query for Barcelona would be the potential involvement of Alexia Putellas. The captain hasn’t performed all season due to an ACL damage suffered on the eve of Euro 2022 final summer time, however travelled with the squad to London for the primary leg and is nearing a return sooner moderately than later.
A choice might be made nearer to the sport, however she may feasibly be on the bench and are available on if Barcelona are comfortably forward within the tie.
Emma Hayes used virtually each inch of her obtainable squad within the first leg. Millie Brilliant, Kadeisha Buchanan and Fran Kirby all missed out and would normally begin in Chelsea’s strongest staff.
Lauren James was the vicitim of a tactical reshuffle, relegated to the bench, and may very well be once more.
Chelsea will give this the whole lot. However with the important thing gamers they’ve lacking, it may very well be one hurdle too many in opposition to the most effective ladies’s membership groups of all time.
An early Chelsea objective may make it fascinating, however Barcelona maintain the initiative and are not below strain to chase the sport. However, in some unspecified time in the future, the guests will should go for it, which has the potential to depart too many gaps and permit Barcelona to choose them off.
