‘We feel ready to go’ – Chelsea prepared for Barcelona showdown says Bompastor

Chelsea head coach Sonia Bompastor says that her side will be ready and raring to go when they face FC Barcelona in the UEFA Women’s Champions League semi-finals this evening.

The Blues have travelled to Spain for the first leg of their semi-final tie against the European champions.

Chelsea have had eight days to prepare for the game and head coach Bompastor says that her side are ready for what promises to be a huge test.

“It’s a huge game and we are really excited to go into it,” Bompastor said when speaking in the pre-match press conference. “We’ve had all of the week to prepare and work on the game plan, so that was really good. 

“I think we feel ready to go, we are excited and we are playing one of the best teams in the world, if not the best team in the world. As players and as a manager, we want to be involved in these kind of games.”

This evening’s fixture could be seen as Bompastor’s toughest challenge since arriving at Chelsea last summer but The Blues boss says that every game is difficult.

She said “Every game is tough for us because everyone wants to beat Chelsea. We expect a tough game because they have a really good team with individual talent within that team.

“We are coming into this game with the focus on ourselves being confident. We have already achieved a lot of things this season but we have only won one trophy [so far]. This competition means a lot to everyone in the club and we will do our best.”

Bompastor’s former club Lyon defeated Barcelona in the 2021/2022 UEFA Women’s Champions League final. The Frenchwoman says that her previous success can be used to bring Chelsea confidence going into this evening’s tie.

She said “I think that experience brings confidence into the squad, the club and the team, that’s the main thing. The mental part is really important in these big games. My job is to make sure we get the game plan right and also that I bring confidence to my players to step out on the pitch and perform. I feel that they are ready.”

Chelsea’s UEFA Women’s Champions League semi-final, first leg tie against FC Barcelona kicks-off at 5pm this evening.

About The Author

Daniel Pentland

I am the editor and owner of the WSL Full-Time brand which I launched in 2018.

I am an accredited journalist with the FWA, SJA and AIPS. I have reported from various levels of men’s and women’s elite football since 2016.