With our UEFA Women’s Champions League group stage opponents now confirmed, Blues captain Millie Bright cannot wait for our European campaign to begin.
Last week, we were drawn in Group B with Real Madrid (Spain), FC Twente (Netherlands) and Celtic (Scotland) – who we will face home and away in our bid to reach the knockout stages of the competition.
Our opening group match is set to take place at Stamford Bridge next week when we host Real Madrid on Tuesday October 8.
And with our opponents and all the fixtures now confirmed, Bright is raring to be back on Europe’s biggest stage after reaching last season's semi-finals.
‘We’re really excited now we know who we’re going to play,’ the defender said. ‘Every group is a tough group because it’s the Champions League. We can’t wait to get started now.
‘Sonia [Bompastor] has not shied away from the fact that it is something we want to win. The expectation has been laid out from the start and the standard has been set.
‘We know what we want to go and achieve. That’s our mentality in every single training session and in every single game that we play.
‘First and foremost, we have the challenge of the group stages now. We can’t look too far ahead and have to take each game as it comes. We know who is in our group know, so that is our main focus.’
This will be the third consecutive season the Blues have faced Real Madrid in the group stages. In the last four meetings between the sides over the last two campaigns, there have been two draws and two wins in Chelsea’s favour.
And in FC Twente and Celtic we step into the unknown having never previously faced either club in the Champions League.
This is the first time the Dutch side have reached the group stage format, which was introduced ahead of the 2021/22 season, while this is set to be a maiden outing in the Champions League for Celtic who got through qualifying for the first time in their history.
‘A lot of teams that we’ve played before have changed with new players,’ Bright explained. ‘But as a team, their mentality and philosophy probably stays the same and that’s something we are aware of.
‘We’ve played Real Madrid a lot recently in the competition, so we do have those experiences to lean on but we also know there will be new challenges with them as well.
‘It’s great for the women’s game to see different teams and new teams involved in the Champions League.
‘It just shows the growth and how teams are progressing. They can be the hardest games for us because they are almost unknown and they can try and catch you off guard.
‘We will be prepared for every game. We’ve got a great group of players and staff who will all be ready for every team we face. We’re just looking forward to getting it kickstarted now.’
All ticket information for our Champions League group stage matches against Real Madrid, FC Twente and Celtic can be found, here!