The pacy winger arrived from Angel City in Los Angeles on deadline day and has scored in her last two appearances for Chelsea.

Having experienced the atmosphere at Stamford Bridge already, the 21-year-old understands exactly why the Blues fans make a real difference to the players on the pitch.

‘Every time they come and we hear them, I feel like it's an extra player on the field,’ says Thompson. ‘Just being able to hear them in the crowd and knowing that whatever the game brings, they're here with us. I think they lift up the team, and we need it.’

Thompson comes from a close-knit family and played alongside her sister Gisele at Angel City. Her move to London would put thousands of miles of distance between her and everything she’d ever known, but her ambition to play in huge matches like Thursday’s clash with Barcelona was one of the biggest draws to Chelsea.

She arrived not knowing too much about our history in matches against the Catalan outfit, and comes into this league phase clash with a clean slate.

‘It’s one of the reasons I came here, for sure,’ Thompson explains. ‘Being able to play against Barcelona is such a cool thing to do. Playing for Chelsea is just so amazing. Being able to have that calibre of match in the group stage of the Champions League is really cool, and I'm really excited to just be able to play on that stage.

‘I really don't know much about the rivalry, but I know Chelsea and Barcelona are two of the best teams in the world, so there's always going to be competition there. I feel like in the past, remembering hearing that they were going to play each other, and I was like, ‘Oh, that's going to be a really good game!’ So being able to be a part of it now is really cool.’

Thompson’s debut in the Champions League was as a substitute during our 1-1 draw away at FC Twente on October 8. A week later, she was handed a start against Paris FC at Stamford Bridge and scored the third goal in our 4-0 win.

So far, we have faced teams from the Netherlands, France and Austria, and the American international is enjoying the variety that the competition brings.

‘It's cool because I feel like every game is different,’ she says. ‘All of these teams are coming from different leagues. So even the fact that we play different styles has helped me a lot in terms of viewing the game tactically.

'I can see what I need to work on against different teams’ blocks, and it helps me show more versatility in my game. Having that every week in the Champions League is really cool.'

You can see Chelsea take on Barcelona as one of women's football's most exciting rivalries heads to Stamford Bridge on Thursday 20 November. Click here to buy tickets.