Emma Hayes steps into the technical area at the Estadi Olímpic on Saturday after a draining few weeks on and off the pitch. The task is huge. Over two legs, Hayes must navigate Chelsea past a Barcelona side who are laden with World Cup stars and play irresistible football to reach the Champions League final.
This trophy is the only one to have eluded the manager during her 12 years with Chelsea and twice in the past three seasons Barça have stood in their way – inflicting a bruising 4-0 defeat in the Gothenburg final in 2021 and last year winning 2-1 on aggregate in the semi-finals.
