Emma Hayes believes Chelsea won't lose focus in their final UEFA Women's Champions League group stage clash with PSG.
The Blues welcome the French giants to London in the knowledge that they have already qualified for the last eight, with the game taking place at Stamford Bridge. However, the English champions still need a result to ensure they finish top of Group A which will mean they are seeded for the quarter-final draw.
A win or a draw would mean Chelsea seal top spot, but even a 1-0 defeat would be enough to finish first ahead of PSG. That would leave the two teams level on points with an identical head-to-head record. But it would subsequently come down to goal difference which would work in the Blues favour.
Knowing a draw or a narrow defeat would still bring a positive outcome is a strange scenario for the players, who are unbeaten and have only conceded one goal in Europe so far this season. At the same stage last year a draw in their final match with Wolfsburg would have seen Chelsea progress to the last eight, but they crashed out after a 4-0 defeat in Germany.
Thankfully there is no chance of a repeat of not qualifying this year, following last week's 4-0 win over Vllaznia. But manager Hayes is still urging her players to focus on winning the game, rather than overthinking the various permutations.
"The approach doesn't change. We play to win every game," said Hayes. "That is what you learn over the years. Last year was such a learning curve for the team.
"When you’re going into a game thinking ‘as long as you don’t lose by a certain number’, that’s a catastrophic headspace and one I won’t entertain.
"Training has been hard for many reasons. If the team aspires for the biggest things it has to train with that application, and stimulate different overloads. I expect that my team will have the right approach and I will be disappointed if it is otherwise."
Chelsea may already be through to the last eight, but it is very much in their interests to top Group A. Being seeded for the draw would mean avoiding Spanish champions Barcelona, and probably Wolfsburg in the quarter-finals, as well as ensuring they would play the decisive second leg at home.
The visit of PSG to Stamford Bridge will bring the curtain down on another successful calendar year for Chelsea, with their next competitive game coming against Arsenal on January 15. Hayes admitted she is looking forward to the break, but also can't wait for what will be one of the biggest games of the WSL season.
"I feel bad so saying I am looking forward to the break," she added. "Because I recently had six weeks off and feel as fresh as a daisy.
"I'm happy for my staff and the players that they get a break. Me personally, I am just finding my feet again.
"It’s a team that’s been at the top at least domestically for a long time. The fact we can continue to maintain a set of standards we live and die by is the thing we can be most proud of.
"The hardest thing to do is to keep winning. Credit to the players for getting us to the halfway point.
"To switch off means to switch off, it is there for a reason. My first thought after the break will be that we're going on a warm weather camp to get our preparation right for the first game, which just happens to be Arsenal.
"That will be a cracker and the game everyone wants to see, two top teams in top form. They are the games I love the most."
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