Magdalena Eriksson bullish on Chelsea Champions League hopes - 'We have it in us to go all the way'
/dnl.tntsports.co.uk/sd/img/placeholder/tnt_logo_1x1.png){kind=logo}
Published 26/10/2022 at 14:57 GMT+1
Magdalena Eriksson says her Chelsea side "learned we have it in us to go all the way" in the Champions League following their final appearance in 2020/21, where they lost to Barcelona 4-0. The Blues didn't perform so strongly last year, but appear determined to put that right, and began their campaign with a fine 1-0 away win over Paris Saint-Germain last week.
'We need to grow as a team' - Allegri reaction after Juventus crash out of UCL
Chelsea skipper Magdalena Eriksson says her team believe they can win the Champions League this season.
The Blues opened up their campaign in a hugely positive manner, securing an impressive that marked them out as early contenders.
The Champions League has become something of a quest for Chelsea following their domestic WSL dominance, and though they reached the final in 2021 - losing 4-0 to Barcelona - they were disappointingly knocked out in the group stages last season.
That setback appears to be driving their collective motivation this time around.
Speaking on the eve of their second group stage match against Vllaznia at Kingsmeadow on Wednesday, Eriksson said: "We learned we have it in us to go all the way [in 2021].
"That brings big confidence to the group knowing we can do it and we definitely have the quality in the squad.
"Last year we got to understand the difficulty of the group stages where there are six games and you have a heavy schedule.
"I'm just really pleased we got off to a good start this year and got three points in a tough away game.
"In general we are really confident when we play at Kingsmeadow. We have great fans and there is always a big crowd.
"We feel really at home. Obviously we want to keep that momentum going and get six points out of two games."
Chelsea's general manager Paul Green, standing in while Emma Hayes recovers from an emergency hysterectomy, called for focus ahead of a tie against the Albanian minnows.
He said: "It is a massive opportunity for them. I'm sure they're enjoying this adventure and will be playing with quite a lot of freedom.
"They are in the competition on their own merit. We need to get the job done but it won't be easy and we need to perform at our best level.
"If we didn't follow up that win over PSG we would be back to the drawing board. You have to follow it up at home against what is perceived as the lowest-ranked team in our group."
Related Topics
Share this article
Advertisement
Advertisement