Sonia Bompastor insisted at Chelsea to stay in the same attacking mindset of their Women's League Cup victory to overcome the challenges of encountering Manchester City in four consecutive games.
The blues won 2-1 in the League Cup final against City on Saturday to win their first trophy under Bompastor.
But Chelsea's focus is now switching to the European stage, with a Women's Super League match against the side of Nick Cushing also to get between the two legs of the quarterfinals.
Chelsea has only lost one of their last eight away matches against City in all competitions (W4 D3)-a 2-0 defeat in the WSL in March 2023. The blues won the most recent such meeting, with a 1-0 win in the semi-final of last season's League Cup.
Bompastor's side has already beaten twice this season, but the French woman insisted that it counts for little in the Champions League -equal game.
“It is another competition and the context is different with two legs,” Bompastor said at her press conference for the competition.
“But our mentality remains the same. We will attack the game and ensure that we put all the elements in the game to have a big chance to win.”
Chelsea is stimulated by the return of Keira Walsh, who missed their last three games due to injury.
Only two midfielders have a better fitting accuracy in the Women's Champions League this season than 93%of Walsh.
The English woman finished on the losing side in just two of her last 22 performances in the competition (W18 D2), for Barcelona against Chelsea in the semi -final of last season and against City in the group stage of this season.
She traveled to Manchester and is in conflict to see the side with which she spent eight years earlier in her career, but Bompastor also emphasized the need to use her team in given the busy nature of their luminaire list.
“It's a real boost [to have Walsh back]”Bompastor added.
“It is always positive when players come back in the team, and it gives me even more options to go into the game and also have options on the couch. It is really positive news.
“I am lucky that I have a really good team with talent, quality and depth. So it is important for me to involve everyone in these four games, especially because we have to have some freshness at some point. That will be important.
“My job is to choose the right start XI in every match, but as you could see on Saturday, players on the couch that could bring energy into the game and help us act.
“So for me it is a team performance, but not only the eleven who will start, those who will be on the couch and then bring the right energy and mindset into play.”
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