Magdalena Eriksson bullish on Chelsea Champions League hopes – ‘We have it in us to go all the way’

Chelsea skipper Magdalena Eriksson says her team believe they can win the Champions League this season.

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.”

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.”