Chelsea Women vs Barcelona Women preview: Kick-off time, where to watch live and more!
From the official Chelsea FC website:
Chelsea Women are back on the European stage with a blockbuster UEFA Women’s Champions League semi-final first leg encounter against Barcelona at Stamford Bridge on Saturday lunchtime.
We secured our place in next month’s FA Cup final with a 1-0 victory over Aston Villa last weekend and the focus shifts quickly to our European exploits, where we take on Barcelona across two legs in the race to reach the final in Eindhoven.
Our semi-final spot was secured in dramatic fashion as we overcame Lyon, eight-time winners of the tournament, on penalties at Stamford Bridge in the quarter-finals. Maren Mjelde’s 128th-minute spot-kick sent the game to a shoot-out where Ann-Katrin Berger made two fine saves at the Shed End.
As for our Spanish opponents, Barcelona are top of their domestic league with a 100 per cent record this season. They will provide a stern test for Emma Hayes’ side who are competing on three fronts themselves across European and domestic competition.
Over 25,000 tickets have been sold for this fixture and it promises to be a historic and memorable occasion for everyone involved with the club, as the Blues and Barcelona go head-to-head in the first instalment of this two-legged affair.
When and where?
We welcome Barcelona to Stamford Bridge for the first leg of our UEFA Women’s Champions League semi-final tie on Saturday 22 April, with kick-off scheduled for 12.30pm (UK time).
How to follow
As always, you can follow the game via Chelsea Women’s social media channels. There will be live commentary on our Twitter page and regular updates on Facebook and Instagram. Simply search ‘ChelseaFCW’ on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Supporters who cannot attend will be able to watch the match via the DAZN YouTube Channel.
The form
Our journey to the semi-finals began at the group stages where we finished top of Group A which consisted of Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Albanian champions Vllaznia. Five wins and one draw ensured we took 16 points from 18 available to secure our spot in the knockout phase.
The quarter-final draw pitted us against renowned winners of the competition, Lyon. We returned from France with a 1-0 victory from the first leg, before a dramatic penalty shoot-out victory in the return leg at Stamford Bridge at the end of March to progress to the semi-finals.
At this stage we face Barcelona who also emerged as group-stage winners, from Group D which was made up of Bayern Munich, Benfica and Rosengard. The Spaniards took 15 points from 18 available with five wins and one defeat as they secured their passage to the knockout stage.
At the quarter-finals, Barcelona were drawn against Roma and overcame the Italians with a 5-1 aggregate score across the two legs, booking their place in the semi-finals and setting up a two-legged tie against the Blues to close out April.
Chelsea Women vs Barcelona Women recent head-to-head record
Our previous competitive meeting with Barcelona came in the final of the 2021 UEFA Women’s Champions League, where we were on the wrong end of a 4-0 scoreline in the host city of Gothenburg, Sweden.
Goals from Alexia Putellas, Aitana Bonmati, Caroline Graham Hansen and a hugely unfortunate own goal from Melanie Leupolz did the damage on a disappointing night for the Blues, but one which proved to be a significant learning opportunity for the squad.
Notice to supporters attending Saturday’s match
All supporters will have access to bars and kiosks with alcohol prior to kick-off, except for Dickies Deck and the East Stand lower tier. These locations directly oversee the pitch and are not permitted to sell alcohol. The East Stand lower tier will have access to Singha mobile bars for half-time only.
We will not be opening the external kiosk outside the west end of the Shed Wall, but the north-west sausage unit will be open from 10am where fans can buy food and drink (including packaged alcohol) in the external perimeter of the stadium site. Frankie’s will open at 11am with limited capacity.
All supporters with tickets can use the West Stand lower tier concourse post-match.
Next up for the Blues
There is a quick turnaround between matches as we prepare for the trip to Spain to face Barcelona in the second leg of our UEFA Women’s Champions League semi-final tie on Thursday 27 April.
Kick-off is scheduled for 5.45pm (UK time) and for supporters who cannot make the journey to southern Europe, the match will be available to watch via the DAZN YouTube channel.
Watch Women’s Champions League training and press conference live
Reiten on European journey and seizing opportunity
Maren talks UWCL semi-finals!
Getting Champions League ready!
‘Chelsea Supporters Group’ can also be found on Twitter and Facebook
