‘Champions League is the goal’ – Chelsea boss Hayes previews Real Madrid fixture | OneFootball

Chelsea manager Emma Hayes says that winning the UEFA Women’s Champions League remains the club’s ultimate goal.

The Blues are yet to lift European club football’s biggest prize, they came closest in 2020/2021 but they were defeated 4-0 by FC Barcelona in Gothenburg in the final.

Chelsea can qualify for the quarter-finals of this season’s UEFA Women’s Champions League with a victory over Real Madrid in their latest match on Thursday evening. When speaking in the pre-match press conference, Hayes re-emphasised the club’s main aim this season, to win the UEFA Women’s Champions League.

“The Champions League is the goal every year, that doesn’t change,” Hayes said. “What is different is that tomorrow, we are in a position to qualify, that’s very different to this time last year.

“Our objectives are to win every trophy that we compete for and this year is no different to previous.”

Real Madrid held Chelsea for 67 minutes before going down 2-0 in the reverse fixture at Kingsmeadow a fortnight ago. Hayes went on to say that The Whites have clear threats but Chelsea must ultimately focus on themselves in the latest meeting on Thursday evening.

She said “As a team, their patience in possession, their ability to threaten in the wide spaces is part of their strength but for us, we just need to focus on our experience and what we have done in European competition.

“That’s a massive pitch out there and in order to get a result, we need to move the ball very well because they do. We absolutely have to do that tomorrow.”

Chelsea’s UEFA Women’s Champions League fixture against Real Madrid at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stéfano kicks-off at 8pm on Thursday evening.