Chelsea relishing Ada Hegerberg challenge in Lyon Champions League decider

Blues skipper Magdalena Eriksson expects Emma Hayes’ side to feed off the atmosphere from record Stamford Bridge crowd

Chelsea captain Magdalena Eriksson insists the Blues have a plan to stop inaugural women’s Ballon d’Or winner Ada Hegerberg ending their ­Champions League dream.

Chelsea hold a 1-0 aggregate lead going into Thursday night’s quarter-final second leg against holders Lyon at Stamford Bridge.

The French side will be boosted by the return of Hegerberg, who marked her first appearance in more than five months at the weekend by scoring one minute after coming on as a substitute in Lyon’s 6-0 win over Guingamp.

The striker is the leading scorer in the history of the Women’s Champions League, but centre-back Eriksson is adamant Chelsea have what it takes to keep her quiet.

“It’s going to be a great challenge [coming up against Hegerberg],” Eriksson said. “I’m here for it.

Ballon d’Or winner: Lyon’s Ada Hegerberg poses a huge threat to Chelsea’s European hopes
Getty Images

“We play almost on a weekly basis against some of the best strikers in the world. We are prepared for it as a team, but we also have to go out and do it.

“We can sit here and talk about it but we have to show it on the pitch, show the Chelsea mentality we know we have in our group, which is doing things together. That’s what I want to see.”

Chelsea have concerns over the fitness of England centre-back Millie Bright for the game after she went off injured in the first leg with a knee injury. Bright did not train on Wednesday, but Blues boss Emma Hayes will give her until the last minute to see if she can feature.

Chelsea are expecting a club-record crowd at Stamford Bridge for a ­Women’s Champions League game, with about 17,000 tickets sold, and Eriksson wants the team to feed off the atmosphere.

“It’s important to have the game at Stamford Bridge,” she said. “It’s our fortress. We have had good results there before. That will be in the back of our minds. We know we still have a long way to go in this tie. We have to be switched on from the start.”

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