Date: Sunday, 16 May Kick-off: 20:00 BST Venue: Gamla Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden BBC coverage: Live text coverage on the BBC Sport website, commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live |
Magdalena Eriksson believes winning the Women’s Champions League can help Chelsea become “a European powerhouse”.
Eriksson will lead the Blues out against Barcelona in Sunday’s final on familiar territory in Gothenburg in her native Sweden.
“There are so many good teams right now in Europe,” she said. “In the next couple of years it is going to be really difficult to reach the final.
“There is not really a powerhouse left but hopefully we can become that.”
A new name will be on the Champions League trophy with Chelsea and Barcelona bidding to win their first title. Both can also become the first club to clinch both the men’s and women’s trophies.
Chelsea, who are in their first final, are looking to take another step towards a domestic and European quadruple for the season and be the first English club to lift a women’s European trophy since Arsenal won the Uefa Cup in 2007.
“It will be massive,” Eriksson said. “Not only is it my first Champions League final, but it’s also in my home country and in the stadium where we play all our games with the national team.
“It will be an amazing occasion. Since I joined the club, the goal has always been to win everything we participate in.”
Eriksson lifted the Women’s Super League trophy on 9 May after their final-day win against Reading and could potentially be the first of two Blues captains this month to lift Europe’s top club prize with the men’s side facing Manchester City on 29 May.
“Among the girls we’ve talked about how cool it is that both sides have reached the final,” she said.
“Both teams are doing so well and it would an amazing and unheard of achievement.
“But Barcelona have had an amazing season. They are so strong in their league and knocked out Paris St-Germain in the semi-final so will be a difficult opponent.”
Barca ready to right ‘painful lesson’ of last final
Barcelona were runners up in 2019, beaten 4-1 by Lyon in Budapest. They also won their domestic league title just hours after Chelsea retained the Women’s Super League.
Much of the same squad that played in the final two years ago have helped get them to this season’s and captain Vicky Losada is determined to make this one full of happier memories.
“It was a painful lesson for us in 2019,” the former Arsenal player told BBC Sport.
“In the space of 20 minutes, Lyon showed their class and took the game away from us.
“Right after the game, we reflected on how hard we would have to work to get to that level and in the past two years, we’ve done that.
“We know we’re ready now, that we’re fit and that we can control the game.
“But it can change in a second, you can make mistakes and Champions League games are tough.
“You come up against the best teams, so we know we have to be prepared and not give them a chance.”
Also bidding to help Barcelona become the first Spanish club to lift the trophy is Netherlands midfielder Lieke Martens, part of their 2017 European Championship-winning squad.
“On club level, this feels like the biggest week of my career,” Martens told BBC Sport.
“We’re prepared for it and have worked so hard. We’ve been together as a team for a while and this is a really important moment for us.
“Chelsea also have a great team and we know they have some great players, especially up top.
“But we also know there are weaknesses and there will be opportunities for us to win the game.”
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