Chelsea have booked their place in the quarter finals of the Women’s Champions League and are now waiting to see if they’ll face familiar foes Arsenal in the last eight, setting up a blockbuster all English clash in Europe.
Emma Hayes’s side, the defending WSL champions, secured automatic qualification by finishing in the top four of the league stage. They’ll face the winner of the play off between Arsenal and Belgian side KRC Genk (Leuven), a tie the Gunners are heavy favourites to win after beating them 3-0 in the group stage just this week.
The draw has opened up a potential heavyweight path for the English contenders. Chelsea’s half of the bracket also includes the most successful club in the competition’s history, eight time winners Lyon, who will face either Wolfsburg or Juventus. It means a potential semi final against the French giants could await the winner of a prospective Chelsea Arsenal duel.
In the other half of the draw, debutants Manchester United face a tough play off against Atletico Madrid. If they progress, German powerhouses Bayern Munich await in the quarter finals, with last season’s runners up and three time winners Barcelona potential semi final opponents.
The two legged play offs are set for 11-12 and 18-19 February. The quarter finals will then be played in late March and early April.
For Arsenal, the mission is clear: navigate past Leuven to set up a seismic London derby with huge stakes. For Chelsea, the waiting game has begun, with the knowledge that a major domestic rival and a formidable European giant in Lyon likely stand between them and the final.
