Manchester City's Nick Cushing admits 'pain' of losing cup final adds 'fuel' for Chelsea rematch in Champions League
Updated 18/03/2025 at 16:29 GMT
Manchester City and Chelsea meet tomorrow night for the first leg of their UEFA Women's Champions League quarter-final. The two sides are on a run of four consecutive meetings across three competitions, with Chelsea having the momentum after beating their rivals 2-1 in the League Cup final. But Nick Cushing says that defeat is only going to add "fuel" to the fire as his team chase a home victory.
Howe 'honoured' to be Newcastle 'leader' as trophy drought finally ends
Video credit: SNTV
The first leg of the UEFA Women's Champions League quarter-final this week - live on TNT Sports and discovery+ - sees Chelsea travel to the Joie Stadium as they try to maintain their winning run against Manchester City.
Chelsea triumphed when the two sides met in the League Cup final at the weekend, and are chasing silverware across multiple fronts, with the FA Cup semi-final against Liverpool to come next month for the league leaders.
But Manchester City cannot be discounted, with interim team boss Nick Cushing giving his views ahead of the clash.
He was not too downcast despite the loss at the weekend, which came via an unfortunate Yui Hasegawa own goal, with Man City on top for large parts of the match.
"I think if you look at the game, we competed really well and I asked for a certain type of football without the ball, and I did see it," he told the press ahead of the Champions League clash.
"We created many moments. I said to the group after the game, if that’s not enough confirmation that you can compete with the best in the league, if that’s not enough fuel to give you the determination to turn the result around…
"The performance is there, the game is completely even and one team is clear in the league so for me it is just about go play, play with no fear."
Cushing added that the squad were feeling the "pain" of losing out on a chance of silverware, but that he could already see "a group of players who are hungry to get going again".
It is a tough run of games for both sides, playing four consecutive matches in the space of 12 days.
And it will be even harder for City, as Cushing confirmed they will be without Khadija 'Bunny' Shaw and Aoba Fujino for Wednesday night’s match, with both players struggling with muscle injuries.
- Dan Burn not in England squad just ‘to be a cheerleader’ as Newcastle star eyes first cap under Thomas Tuchel
- Virgil van Dijk warns Liverpool team-mates 'the job is not done' in Premier League after Carabao Cup final loss
"Two significant players missing, but that gives opportunities for other players," he added.
"We aren’t looking at a swift turnaround but at the same time, for me it is just leave it with the medical team, understand I have to find a solution for this game and see where we are."
Cushing has barely had a chance to get his feet under the table following the sacking of Gareth Taylor, but he is faced with big game after big game, as City try to end their season on a high.
"For us, home leg in the Champions League, we want to play a certain way, we want to dominate the game. But the result is the most important part of this game because it is our home leg," he added, knowing the pressure will be on in the reverse fixture next week if City cannot take a lead with them to Stamford Bridge.
City forward Kerolin also spoke to the press, and highlighted the task facing the squad as they seek to find a way to break through Chelsea’s defense - with the two sides already knowing each other incredibly well.
"We always want to win, but we knew it would be a hard game [last weekend]," she added.
"We are working this week to do different things and find a different way to hurt Chelsea. We are ready and will try our best to win, and we are at home so that will be special."
TNT Sports will show over 500 matches from the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Conference League across the 2024/25 season. The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports and entertainment in one destination.
Related Topics
Thoughts?