Chelsea manager Emma Hayes said on Friday that she hopes the large crowd headed to Stamford Bridge will help her team beat Barcelona in the second leg of the Women’s Champions League semifinal on Saturday.
After securing a 1-0 victory in the first leg at Barcelona’s Olympic Stadium last week, Chelsea will welcome a near-sell-out crowd for the second leg against the Catalan club, with Hayes’ side hoping to book their place in their second Champions League final.
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It has been reported that Chelsea need to sell around 500 more tickets to fill the 40,000-capacity Stamford Bridge for the blockbuster match.
“We’re ready, we want to be in this position. I look forward to the crowd helping us because we’re going to need them,” Hayes told a news conference on Friday.
“I look forward to seeing the fans tomorrow. Of course, I’m delighted [about playing in front of a large crowd] because our girls deserve the opportunity, but for me, this is one more step in the right direction of growing the women’s game.”
It will be Hayes’ last game at the iconic stadium before she departs the club after 12 years to become the new head coach of the United States women’s national team, and the Champions League is the one trophy she has not won during her tenure with the club.
However, Hayes said that this does not give her side any added momentum heading into the fixture.
“I think our players play for our badge; they play for their family, for each other; I’m part of that; I’m in a team; it’s not me, it’s us. These players play at this football club to play in every game for Chelsea, not just the one tomorrow.”
