Chelsea v Barcelona: Millie Bright ready for ‘biggest game of our careers’

Last week’s loss was Barcelona’s first at home since February 2019 and it showed Chelsea’s progression in Europe.

They were thrashed 4-0 by Barca in their only final appearance in 2021, before a narrow defeat at Stamford Bridge in the semi-finals last season ultimately proved costly in a 2-1 aggregate defeat.

With Hayes set to depart to manage the US women’s national team this summer and Chelsea having failed to win either of the two domestic cups, pressure has increased to secure the Women’s Super League and Women’s Champions League titles.

Bright is not fazed by Barcelona being favourites and hopes a big crowd at Stamford Bridge on Saturday can help Chelsea – with more than 35,000 tickets already sold – secure their spot in a European showpiece.

“We are definitely the underdogs in this draw and that’s fine – we know our place and our role,” she said.

“But as Emma [Hayes] always says, any team can be beaten. It’s how you set yourselves up to do that.

“I know everyone said [the first leg] was an absolute masterclass by Emma. It was a credit to the players to buy into that gameplan – and it worked, we got the result.”

Bright added: “We will give everything and it’s extra motivation knowing that this is Emma’s last season.

“We need every single fan there. We need the stadium packed and absolutely rocking. The fans make an incredible impact on the game. We felt it when we went to Barcelona.”