Eriksson wants Blues to show ‘Chelsea mentality’ in Champions League clash with Lyon
MAGDA ERIKSSON says Chelsea cannot dwell on their loss to Manchester City before their decisive Champions League battle with Lyon.
The Blues captain, 29, is up for the challenge of taking on Ada Hegerberg should she feature in the clash at Stamford Bridge.
Tonight the WSL champs face the French side in the quarter-final second leg of the tournament, four days after losing to City in the top tier.
Eriksson, whose team secured a 1-0 first leg win in France, said: “We’re very experienced with having games back-to-back so we know we can’t dwell too long on defeats.
“We’ve looked at it, we’ve talked about it, dealt with it and learned from it. Now we’ve moved on and now we’re ready for this game.”
Last Wednesday’s first leg saw Bright hobble off the pitch before half-time.
And Emma Hayes was tightlipped on the availability of her vice-captain for tonight’s game.
The Chelsea chief said on Wednesday: “Millie was the only player we trained without.
“We’re maximising as much time as we can but she wasn’t in training.”
The game at Stamford Bridge could see Lyon striker Hegerberg make her long-awaited return to action from injury.
The Norway ace netted in last May’s final with Lyon lifting their eighth Champions League trophy after beating Barcelona 3-1.
The striker is currently the tournament’s all-time top scorer.
On the task of attempting to thwart Hegerberg, Eriksson added: “I’m here for it. It’s going to be a great challenge.
“Domestically, almost on a weekly basis, we play against some of the best strikers in the world so we’re prepared for it.
“We have to show it on the pitch and show the Chelsea mentality that we know we have.
Hayes added: “We have to be brave. You have to appreciate their record speaks for itself.
“It’s important for us as a team to impose ourselves, be aggressive in the right moments and be positive in everything that we do.
“The opportunity is there in front of us and I know the entire dressing room is very much looking forward to it.”
This evening’s fixture could see the 2021 Champions League finalists pull in one of their highest match attendances this season.
A crowd of 17,000 is expected at the game.
Eriksson said: “The crowd and the team feed off each other, we love our fans and they mean so much to us.
“It means a lot that we get to have this game at Stamford Bridge.
“We’ve had some good experiences there. We’ll have that in front of our minds when we go out on the pitch.”