Chelsea are looking to overturn a 4-1 first leg deficit on Sunday, and while the boss is under no illusions about the difficulty of the task that lies ahead, she wants her players to turn up with their usual winning mentality.

The Blues mounted an incredible 3-0 comeback against Manchester City in the quarter-final of the competition at Stamford Bridge last month, and Bompastor has full belief that her side can repeat that against the reigning champions.

Last Sunday, a strike from Sandy Baltimore at the Estadi Johan Cruyff had pulled the score back to 2-1, but two goals in the final eight minutes from the home side gave us a lot of work to do in the second leg. On reflection, Bompastor understands all too well what went wrong in what was only her second defeat since joining the club in the summer.

'First of all, I think we were coming to that game with ambition, and I think that's who we are and who I am as a manager,' she explained.

'I'm always proactive and I want to try, and I want to give the best version of ourselves. For me, the game against Barcelona was the opportunity for us to show how good we could be. I think when you reflect on the game, we didn't show our best version for sure.

'Maybe we lacked a bit of experience in that moment. I think if you compare both teams, they are used to playing that kind of game. It's really important. I think most of the players at Chelsea are also used to playing in this kind of game, but maybe we were too naïve on the small details and in the last minutes in the game.

'That's maybe why also we considered these two goals, one on a set piece and the last one we were not focused enough to defend in a better way.'

Bompastor won the Champions League twice as a Lyon player in 2011 and 2012, and in 2022 she led the French club to victory as a manager - becoming the first person in women's football to achieve the feat.

The Chelsea boss explained the difference between affecting the outcome of the game as a player and standing on the sidelines while the play goes on.

'Sometimes it's easy to think everyone on the pitch is on the same page, Bompastor continued. 'That's my job to make sure I put everyone on the same page. But maybe when we were at 2-1, some of the players were thinking maybe we should go to score the second goal, and some of us were probably trying to protect that score.

'So it's difficult because in this type of game, everything can happen really quickly and you need to be really focused, determined in every detail. And I think maybe in the way we needed to defend in the last 10 minutes, we were not together as a team. And probably it caused us to concede those last two goals.

'It's different for sure, being on the pitch and on the sideline. I think you always try as a manager to influence as much as you can before the game. But when the game is on, I think it's the player's game. You can have some moments in the game where you can talk to some players individually, you can give some messages to the team.

'It is difficult to just be as proactive as you would like to be. So it's more frustrating for sure to be manager and on the sideline. But I'm always making sure I try to show my support to my players, no matter what happens on the pitch.

'I think Barcelona are a team who learned a lot when they lost the game against Lyon in 2022 in Turin. I think that game for them was a big reflection, and I think they learned a lot about how they can influence the game as a team, but also as individuals.

'What frustrated me a lot in the game [on Sunday] was more the fact we couldn't show our best version of ourselves. And I think the game this Sunday is a new opportunity for us to show a better version.'

Serial winners discover opportunity where others would only see adversity. That's why our coach is heading into Sunday's match with full belief the turnaround can be completed.

There's a precedent for big second leg comebacks in Champions League football, and Bompastor is looking to those examples to strengthen her side's belief ahead of the weekend. After all, we have already done it once ourselves this season.

'We need to show some pride going into that game because we want to show the best version of Chelsea,' explained the coach. 'I think the difference between both teams is not that much, but you need to be able to perform on the day.

'I think it goes a lot to the mental aspects, approaching the game with confidence and with trust. I think that's the main thing because I know how good my players can be, but now they need to realise it for themselves.

'They need to go into that game with confidence because in football, you never know what can happen. First of all, I want my players to be proud. I want them to play with pride and anything can happen.

'If we are able to score the first goal really early in the game, if we have the right mentality, we probably can turn things around. This is the belief we need to have going into that game and to just leave it all there on the pitch without having any regrets at the end.

'You need to be confident, positive. You need to have the mentality from the beginning of the game to just leave everything on the pitch.

'In football, you have many examples where some teams were losing the game by two, three goals difference, and they were able to turn things around. I think that's why people enjoy watching football. These scenarios are the best ones.

'I think there is an opportunity for us to do that. But we know it will be tough because Barcelona have a really good team and they have experience. But again, you need to go into the game with all the intensity the Champions League requires. And after, you will see. But I just want my players to come out of the pitch without any regrets.

'Probably for us, it's a game where we have nothing to lose. So hopefully my players will be confident enough going into that game, knowing we have nothing to lose. And the only thing we can have is a really good surprise. That's what we are aiming for.'

It was a memorable night at Stamford Bridge when the team pulled off the 3-0 win over Man City we needed to advance to the semi-final.

The team couldn't have done it without the support of the fans, and Bompastor is calling for as many as possible to pack out the stands to cheer on the Blues when they need it most.

'Oh, the fans play a huge role for sure,' she smiled. 'I know my players love to play at Stamford Bridge. I know they love to play in front of these fans. Any time we have played at Stamford Bridge this season, the crowd was loud and we could feel their support.

'So it will make a huge difference, I think, because in this type of game, when the players start to feel fatigue, and then you hear the fans cheering for you, it just gives you that extra motivation.

'I think it can make a big impact, a big difference. We are hoping to have many fans, the most we can have, just for them to try to support the team and be the 12th player.'

Tickets are still available to support Sonia and the team against Barcelona in the UEFA Women's Champions League semi-final on Sunday 27 April. You can secure your seat here.