INEVITABLE – the only certainties in life are death, taxes and Chelsea playing Barcelona in the Champions League
We’ve seen this match before, says Helen M Jerome, ahead of another tasty Chelsea Barça tie at the Bridge. But can the Blues – and crucially, Sonia Bompastor – finally slay their own personal Catalan dragon?
It’s the unstoppable force against the immovable object – on paper. Unbeaten Chelsea prepping for the annual visit of their nemesis, Barcelona.
Both have looked pretty sturdy, although the Catalans have lost – shock, horror – one game in La Liga already this season, and the Blues have uncharacteristically dropped points around north London, and in the north-west.
In/Out
First thing to note is that injuries are mounting up for key players on both sides.
Hannah Hampton is the biggest miss for Chelsea, though their second-choice keeper is after all, Switzerland’s Number One, Livia Peng (above, right). There have also been worries for Aggie Beever-Jones and longer-term injuries across defence and attack.
On the plus side, free-scoring striker Sam Kerr is getting back to full fitness, and the key midfield pivot, Keira Walsh seems to have put her below-par first months for Chelsea behind her, and is now on peak form for club and country. There is quite a bit of history for Walsh and of course, Lucy Bronze, who both most recently played for Barça, and won trophies aplenty while there.
The Barcelona injury list has also been growing. Patri is the key miss in midfield, and Salma Paralluelo (above, left) up front. Aitana Bonmati has been managing hamstring discomfort. Esme Brugts was injured in El Clasico at the weekend. Ewa Pajor should be back.
If anything happens to their own keeper, Cata Coll, who saved a Real Madrid penalty, the cover is pretty thin. But there’s still solidity in defence, fluidity in midfield, and power up top. And the magical combination of huge experience and loads of youth all over the park.
Look away now if you don’t want to be reminded how Chelsea fared last season… and indeed the previous two seasons, all in the semi-finals of the Champions League. But last year’s 8-2 aggregate thrashing over two legs saw Bompastor further strengthen her squad, in order to cope with domestic and European competitions.
In came the likes of Aussie wingback Ellie Carpenter, no stranger to European success with Lyon, plus record signing Alyssa Thompson, who is like lightning down the wing.
Contrast this with Barcelona’s journey last season, in which they only lost their opening game at Man City – or the “What-On-Earth-Have-You-Done-Naomi-Layzell?” match, as we fondly recall it. And, of course, once more, in the final against Arsenal. There’s much that Bompastor can learn from how the Gunners set up against the Catalans in Lisbon in May.
Blue Day?
The closest Chelsea came to Champions League success was when they reached the final in the Covid-drenched 2021 final in Gothenburg, with tumbleweed rather than fans. And yes, they lost inevitably to Barça, 4-0.
To see how seriously they are taking it this year, look at Chelsea’s strength through the squad, the ability to switch wingbacks from Lucy Bronze to Ellie Carpenter (above, centre) and Niamh Charles to Sandy Baltimore, the French star and her wicked left foot probably the things to emerge from the two 4-1 semi-final defeats with any credit.
And they don’t need to rely solely on Millie Bright and Erin Cuthbert to swat oncoming traffic aside now. Natalie Bjorn is arguably their best centre-back, and Naomi Girma is now gelling with the rest of the defence, having been thrown in the deep end (uncomfortably) for the home tie v Barça last time out.
Alongside Keira Walsh they can slot the likes of Wieke Kaptein and a deeper-lying Sjoeke Nusken, and if in doubt they can just go route one with a slingshot pass and know that Alyssa Thompson (above, right) will always get to the ball first. Up top, without Beever-Jones, Catarina Macario has been favoured, though a fit ABJ would always start ahead of the American. Plus Kerr, probably poised to enter the fray from the bench.
Wounded Barça
When the likes of Lyon and Wolfsburg were basically carving up the Champions League between them, Barça were waiting in the wings. Licking their lips in anticipation at their youth system and bold transfer activity coming to fruition.
Icons like Alexia and Aitana (above) now win the Ballon d’Or each season for their excellence for Spain and Barcelona. Ona Batlle is tireless down the right and tracking back. Young Vicky Lopez and Paralluelo, plus the prolific Claudia Pina, show the youth policy is working like a dream, and they have Swiss star Sydney Schertenleib also making an impact. Though they will miss the gigantic presence and mesmeric passing of Patri.
They will no doubt be still nursing their wounds after their final defeat by Arsenal and out for some sort of revenge. It’s a quite different scenario from previous clashes though, with less at stake in the new Champions League structure for both unbeaten giants.
It still feels like they’re on course to make it all the way to the final though, having done so in six of the past seven competitions, and won four of these.
Prediction
Another shock, horror! Okay, I’ve drunk the Bompastor Kool-Aid and I’m going for a draw. With at least a couple of goals. So 1-1 or 2-2.
But I’m not confident enough to put my money where my mouth is at the bookies…
