Chelsea are hoping it will be third time lucky as they look to get one step closer to the Champions League final when they face Bayern Munich this afternoon.
After falling at this hurdle against Wolfsburg and Lyon in previous seasons Chelsea travel to Germany in good spirits.
When the teams last faced each other in 2017 Fran Kirby scored the decisive away goal that knocked Bayern out of the competition in the round of 32.
“Back then that was probably the biggest game in terms of building confidence in the team,” says Kirby.
“Both teams have evolved since then, both teams have pushed and progressed. They are fighting for silverware in their respective league as well so we need to make sure we are ready with 110% to go up against them.”
Kirby says the team are always thinking about the future, and don’t want to get hung up on results in previous games.
“We’ve been close before and we know how it hurts when you don’t make it to the final. We need to go there with a strong mentality and not focus on the fact we’ve lost previous semi-finals.
[blockquote text=”We are focusing on the here and now and on the team we will be playing against next. We need to treat it like any other game because every game is as important as the next.” show_quote_icon=”yes” text_color=”#dd3333″]
“We are focusing on the here and now and on the team we will be playing against next. We need to treat it like any other game because every game is as important as the next.
“In the position we are in we can’t afford to lose games in the league or in the champions league,” she adds.
Kirby has been with the club since the beginning of their champions league journey, scoring against Glasgow City in their first game in 2015/16 competition.
“For me, it would be really special getting there [the final] with this team because I’ve been here for a long time and started the champions league journey with them.
“Getting into the champions league final is something this club has been working really hard to get to,” she added.
As part of all ongoing competitions and sitting top of the league table, the team have a busy end to the season. Kirby says they are in a really good place going into their next games: “The level has really stepped up over the last few weeks. Everyone is fit and healthy and giving 110%.
“We all have a real confidence in each other. We have a style of play that everybody understands and we know how we want to beat these teams. Everyone is on the same page.”
A squad of 22 players have travelled to Munich, with captain Magda Eriksson returning and all players fit and available for selection.
Kick-off for this game is 4 pm, with coverage starting at 3:30 pm on BT Sport 2.
Photo: @ChelseaFCW
