Chelsea head coach Sonia Bompastor says that her side need to perform at their best level to give themselves a strong chance of beating Real Madrid this evening.
The Blues face the Spaniards on Matchday 6 in the UEFA Women’s Champions League group stage. A positive result at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stéfano will see Chelsea advance to the quarter-finals as group winners.
Chelsea failed to win for the first time this season when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Leicester City at the weekend but head coach Bompastor says that her side won’t dwell on that missed opportunity, all eyes are now on European action.
“We analysed the performance, talked to the girls about it and I said at the end that we need to move on from that and move forward,” Bompastor said when speaking in the pre-match press conference. “It’s something we can’t control anymore because it’s in the past, so we need to focus on the next game.
“The good thing is we now have this game and it’s a new opportunity for us. We really want to be ready to perform then we can go into the Christmas break on the back of a good result.”
Chelsea hold a three-point advantage over latest opponents Real Madrid going into their final UEFA Women’s Champions League group game and Bompastor is calling for the complete performance from her side in Spain.
She said “Real Madrid are a team that has a lot of experience in the Champions League. They have a good squad, a talented squad, so again, we expect a tough game. We will focus on ourselves, we know we also have a lot of experience.
“Coming into this game, we are top of the group, so we are confident but we know that this game will be tough. We will need to be 100-percent in our performance to make sure we get the three points.”
Having played in Spain prior to joining Chelsea in January, forward Mayra Ramírez knows Real Madrid well. Bompastor said that there has been no need to tap into Ramírez’s knowledge of this evening’s opponents.
She said “No, I didn’t speak to Mayra about the Real Madrid players. I think I know them as much as Mayra does. They are talented and experienced players and we know how good they are as a team and as individuals. I know the opposition well but I’m focused on my team because we are also talented and experienced. If we play our game, we are able to beat Real Madrid.”
Chelsea’s UEFA Women’s Champions League group stage fixture against Real Madrid kicks-off at 5.45pm this evening.
About The Author
Daniel Pentland
I am the editor and owner of the WSL Full-Time brand which I launched in 2018.
I am an accredited journalist with the FWA, SJA and AIPS. I have reported from various levels of men’s and women’s elite football since 2016.