Magda Eriksson believes Chelsea’s defensive qualities could prove to be the difference in this evening’s Champions League final.
Chelsea are coming up against a Barcelona side that can certainly score goals, but while the Blues have also been able to hurt sides with our attacking play, Emma Hayes’s side have built a solid foundation at the back.
Eriksson has helped to keep 24 clean sheets in all competitions and the skipper says our defensive record could play a huge role in this evening’s Champions League final.
She said: ‘We know that Barcelona is a great team. It’s not just about the individuals for them, they are a good team on all fronts.
‘We have to be ready. We have to be on it and defend like we’ve defended all year.
‘We’ve had a good defensive record in our league campaign so I’m confident that we will do everything we can to stop them and I’m also confident that we have players who can hurt them.’
For Eriksson, today brings the opportunity to lift the Champions League trophy in her home country, and the defender admits securing the title of Champions of Europe would be a dream come true.
She added: ‘It has been a big dream. If you are a football player, one of your biggest dreams is to lift the Champions League trophy. It is a childhood dream for me.
‘For the club and the team it would mean so much. We haven’t come this far to not give everything we can, to lift that trophy.'
Barcelona have already been in this position before when they faced Lyon in the final in 2019, but the Spanish side suffered a 4-1 defeat.
Chelsea will be playing in our first Champions League final when the two sides meet at the Gamla Ullevi stadium, but Eriksson insists the Blues have enough experience in the team to handle the occasion.
Eriksson said: ‘We have so many experienced players who played in big games on different occasions. A Euros final, World Cup finals, Olympic finals, so we have experience of playing in finals.
‘That is the most important experience. It’s a one-off game, you have to be ready and you have to be ready to step up on that day. We have an experienced team who knows what it takes to win finals.’
Tonight’s final kicks off at 8pm UK time (9pm CET) and will be streamed live on the website and the 5th Stand app. Geo-restrictions apply and cannot be viewed in the UK (where the game will be live on BT Sport).