Manchester City vs Chelsea LIVE: Women’s Champions League team news and line-ups as quarter-finals continue

It’s good to see Keira Walsh back in the Chelsea side after a frustrating injury recently, the Lionesses midfielder back among old friends having spent nine seasons at Manchester City. Can the hosts get a handle on her tonight?

Brazilian forward Kerolin will make her Women’s Champions League debut tonight after joining Manchester City from the North Carolina Courage in January. The 25-year-old took the positives from the League Cup final defeat but feels her side must make more of their chances tonight.

“It is hard because when we look back to the game, we played really well. We need to keep doing what we’re doing and, when we get to the final third, we need to make better decisions. That’s how we’re going to win the game, scoring goals.

“I’m really happy and excited; it’s kind of like a dream. But I need to be really focused on how to help the team. Now is the time to make history. We’re ready for that and will try to do our best.”

It would appear that the defending champions are bound for the quarter-finals: Barcelona have been dominant against Wolfsburg in the early action of this Women’s Champions League double helping, and look to be taking a strong first-leg advantage back to Catalonia. A reminder that the winner there will face the side that emerges from tonight’s tie.

You feel a first-leg lead is a must for Manchester City with a tricky trip to Stamford Bridge to come next week. As manager Nick Cushing pointed out ahead of this fixture, the team have had some good showings at home so far in this campaign.

“There have been some incredible results [at home] this season,” Cushing said. “They [the players] beat Barcelona here, beat Arsenal to get to the [League Cup] final we just played. The team know they are good, but we need the real belief to win trophies. When you see that, they will just go on and consistently win.”

Millie Bright has revealed that Chelsea did not engage in any wild celebrations after securing a trophy last weekend, such was the quick turnaround between the League Cup final and this first leg.

“There were barely any celebrations,” Bright admitted. “Everyone was tucked in bed by 9:30pm. I was, definitely – I was flat out! We have our eyes set on big targets this year. Winning trophies is not something we shy away from in terms of saying it out loud.

“Any game we play in, the mentality is to win, to be the best, and it’s all about getting to that end goal. I think, with us this year, our mentality’s tightened up a little bit, if I’m being honest. I didn’t think it could go to a next level, but it has done.”

Lucy Bronze believes her neurodivergence played to her advantage in light of her late diagnoses of autism and ADHD.

With 22 major titles under her belt, the England and Chelsea star has nearly won everything there is to win in women’s football, including a famous Euro 2022 triumph with the Lionesses.

Aggie Beever-Jones and a fit-again Keira Walsh come into the Chelsea starting side.

Chelsea XI: Hampton; Bronze, Bjorn, Bright (c), Baltimore; Cuthbert, Walsh; Beever-Jones, Macario, James; Ramirez.

In the absence of their injured pair, Nick Cushing hands an opportunity for 19-year-old forward Lily Murphy in the Manchester City team.

Manchester City XI: Yamashita; Casparij, Prior, Aleixandri (C), Ouahabi; Hasegawa, Roord, Park; Kerolin, Murphy, Fowler.

We should have team news in the next little while. Manchester City will be without star striker Khadija Shaw and fellow forward Aoba Fujino:

Alas, that was not the last poor pitch story of the week, with a sodden surface slammed by Ian Wright after Arsenal’s defeat to Real Madrid last night.