Barcelona vs Chelsea LIVE: Women’s Champions League result and final score

Jonatan Giraldez provided a positive update on Lucy Bronze after the England defender was forced off with a knee injury during Barcelona’s 1-0 win over Chelsea in their Champions League semi-final first leg at Stamford Bridge.

The Barca right-back winced as she limped off in the second half after she went down with an issue to her right knee.

Bronze’s injury was a fresh scare for England manager Sarina Wiegman with both Beth Mead and Leah Williamson set to miss the World Cup with ACL tears.

“She felt something in her knee in the beginning,” Giraldez said.

Alexia Putellas returned to Barcelona training on Wednesday as the Spain star and Ballon d’Or winner nears her comeback from last summer’s ACL injury.

The midfielder has not played for Barcelona since season’s Champions League final defeat to Lyon.

“We have to assess very carefully what to do so that when she returns, she returns well,” said the Barcelona head coach Jonatan Giráldez.

“We will not take any risk with Alexia. The priority is to qualify for the final. As a coach I will not take any risk if she is not 100 per cent.”

Emma Hayes insists her Chelsea side are as ready as they can be to spring a Women’s Champions League surprise over Barcelona.

The Catalan club are enjoying a perfect Liga F campaign, winning all 25 of their games, and hold a narrow 1-0 lead in their semi-final tie with Chelsea after victory at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

Regarded as one of the best women’s teams in Europe, Barcelona will be favourites to finish the job in front of a crowd of over 65,000 at the Nou Camp, with either Arsenal or Wolfsburg to come in the final.

Hayes, though, has backed her side to give their all against an opponent who beat Chelsea 4-0 in the Champions League final two years ago.

Thankfully for Chelsea, last week’s first leg against Barcelona in the Women’s Champions League was not the repeat of the 2021 final that at one stage it threatened to be. Chelsea set out to survive and will head to the Nou Camp still in the tie and only 1-0 down, but to win this semi-final they will need to offer much, much more. The Blues will take heart from how they restricted and disrupted Barcelona at times, but a defensive, passive approach from Emma Hayes’ side leaves them requiring another mircale in the second leg.

Chelsea will not fear such odds but overturning this will take something special. Chelsea could not live with Barcelona to begin with, particularly the outstanding Caroline Graham Hansen, who sealed Barcelona’s 4-0 win in Gothenburg two years ago and returned to terrorise Chelsea here. To raise the Barcelona bench from its feet and to stun this team of global stars takes something magical, and that’s what the winger produced with her wonderful opener after four minutes. It looked a long way back for Chelsea then, but they hung on.

Piece from Stamford Bridge

How will tonight’s Women’s Champions League clash play out? Can Chelsea make it through to the final?

Barcelona XI: Panos; Torrejon, Paredes, Leon, Rolfo; Bonmati, Walsh, Guijarro; Graham Hansen, Caldentey, Oshoala

Chelsea XI: Berger; Perisset, Mjelde, Eriksson, Carter, Charles; Cuthbert, Leupolz; Fleming, Kerr, Reiten

Chelsea manager Emma Hayes on facing Barcelona: “Nobody denies they are a fabulous team with an amazing history, particularly here, We have to accept that we will suffer more against Barcelona than anyone else. But we showed in the previous game we can defend.

“We will have to do that at an even higher level and the execution from us with the football has to be better. It’s a football match. The game is 1-0. We have a fair and equal chance.

“This is a strength of our team. We are built to cope with the challenges. We like to suffer. We’re as prepared as we possibly can be. I have said it time and time again, we have a dressing room of players that want to be in this position. We will give it everything we have got.

“We’re looking forward to playing at this magnificent stadium. At 1-0 there is no doubt, with their history here, we have to be at our very best.”

Chelsea defender Magdalena Eriksson previewed tonight’s clash with Barcelona and claimed that her team needs to be ready for anything when they take on the Liga F champions.

“Barca have a trademark style of play.” she said, “They are very smart players, they take what you give them and that’s why you have to be on your toes in all areas and ready for anything they throw at us.

“We know their style, we know it’s possession based.

“We know they want to keep the ball, drag us out of areas and exploit those areas. For us, it’s about being disciplined, being smart and being ready for anything.”

Barcelona: Panos; Torrejon, Paredes, Leon, Rolfo; Bonmati, Walsh, Guijarro; Graham Hansen, Oshoala, Paralluelo

Chelsea: Berger; Perisset, Mjelde, Eriksson, Carter, Charles; Cuthbert, Leupolz; James, Kerr, Reiten

Chelsea lined up with a back three in the first leg in a formation switch that saw Lauren James drop to the bench, but the Blues will need to be bolder as they look to overturn Barcelona’s lead. Emma Hayes is without centre-backs Millie Bright and Kadeisha Buchanan, as well as England’s Fran Kirby, while Pernille Harder may again start on the bench as she works to regain full match fitness.