Emma Hayes believes Chelsea Women’s hopes of qualification for the knockout phase of the UEFA Women’s Champions League are firmly in our grasp ahead of the visit to Vllaznia for matchday five on Friday evening.
The Blues head to Albanian champions Vllaznia knowing a favourable result will seal our spot in the draw for the knockout stages in the new year. A squad of 22 players touched down in the Albanian capital, Tirana, on Thursday evening ahead of the game on Friday.
We enter our penultimate group stage encounter with an unbeaten record, having taken 10 points from 12 available with three wins and one draw from our previous four matches in Group A, which includes the likes of Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain.
Looking forward to the task in hand, Hayes is comfortable in the knowledge that our fate lies within our own hands going into the game on Friday evening.
‘We’re happy to be in a position where it’s within our control, that’s all we ask for. This game we have the opportunity to get three points, if we get three points we get the opportunity to qualify. I’d much rather we’re in a position where that is in our hands rather than the opponents. We’re happy to be in that place.’
In the reverse fixture at Kingsmeadow in October, we recorded a clinical 8-0 victory on matchday two. Four goals from Sam Kerr, a Pernille Harder hat-trick and a first goal in blue for Katerina Svitkova did the damage, and Hayes identified some subtle tactical tweaks made by our opposition since then.
‘They’ve adjusted a little, they were playing five at the back when we played them and we know that they had shifted to four at the back. For us as a team, we just have to be prepared for whatever the opponent poses. It’s all about what we do and how we impose ourselves on the game, that’s what I’m interested in.’
Every game is different and despite our resounding victory against Vllaznia on home soil, away trips in Europe are always challenging. Hayes agreed that the hosts will have developed as a result of their experiences in the competition, and wants her players to respond to whatever is thrown their way.
‘Absolutely, they’re at home. I remember being at home watching them when they played Real Madrid here and they were really stubborn to break down. It’s a different game away from home and it’s something we’re prepared for.
‘We have to expect that they would have learned through their European journey, and for us to be the top professionals that we are to make sure that we’re ready for the things they’ve worked on.’