Chelsea could secure qualification to the Women’s Champions League knockout stages when they travel to face Albanian champions Vllaznia on Friday in their penultimate group stage clash.
A group once billed as the 'group of death' has been well navigated by the Blues, who tout an unbeaten record with three wins and a hard-fought 1-1 draw with Real Madrid to fire them top of Group A.
And with three points separating Chelsea from second-place Paris St. Germain, who the Blues face in their final match of the group phase, victory over Vllaznia at the Loro Borici Stadium on Friday would book Emma Hayes’ side a ticket to the next round.
Sam Kerr and Pernille Harder relished their previous match-up with the Albanian outfit. The pair notched seven goals between them as Chelsea careened to a 8-0 victory against a raucous backdrop of smoke flares at Kingsmeadow. The win marked the only match of the season across all competitions that Chelsea won by a margin larger than two goals before their 3-0 London derby victory over Tottenham Hotspur last month.
Since then, Chelsea have restored some of the ruthless edge that largely felt for want from the reigning league champions as the season kicked into gear.
If Chelsea feel compelled to take confidence in anything heading into Friday, their opponent’s recent European form would suffice. Vllaznia are marooned to the bottom of Group A, having failed to register a single point from their opening four matches. They’re still on a hunt for their first goal, while conceding 19 of them.
Meanwhile, Chelsea boast a goal difference of +11.
And with winter break halting the league until mid-January, Chelsea’s focus is fixed firmly on their final two group phase matches and with a finale against PSG, the Blues could likely field a more competitive starting XI to ensure that qualification to the knockout rounds are secure before next week.
Kick-off for Chelsea’s penultimate Champions League group stage match against Vllaznia is at 5:45pm (UK time) on Friday, December 16.
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