England star Keira Walsh says Barcelona must be ready for the physical battle when they take on Chelsea in the semi-final of the women’s Champions League this weekend.
Walsh is preparing for her first competitive club game back in England since joining Barca from Manchester City for a record fee last summer.
The Catalans are the favourites to win the competition but face a Chelsea team that beat holders Lyon in a dramatic penalty shoot-out in the quarter-final.
Walsh knows all about Emma Hayes’ side from her time in the Women’s Super League and is expecting a difficult game across both legs.
‘I’ve played Chelsea a few times now and they’re always a tough opponent. I think they’re very competitive and I think the mental toughness, you can always feel that when you’re playing against them. I think they obviously pose a massive threat in behind with Sam Kerr and Lauren James.
‘You can see in the recent games they’ve played, as soon as they get the ball they’re looking for those two and the runs in behind and we are aware of that. They’ve got some great players and create a lot of opportunities to score. It’s just concentrating on what we can bring.
‘Playing Chelsea over the past years and especially in Manchester, I think it was probably more of a physical battle, it was [about] who could win the first and second balls and who can tackle the hardest and who can put the ball in behind and create that threat whereas I think here a lot of our play goes through the middle.
‘They’re super competitive, they love tackling and getting in and around you and we’ve got to be ready for that in both of these games.’
Walsh’s England team-mate James has been one of the standout players for Chelsea this season and the Barca midfielder admitted they will have to contain her if they are to stop the Blues in attack.
‘I think going forward she’s got unbelievable feet and she’s so skillful,’ Walsh said. ‘I think what you can see with LJ is when she shoots, she’s not got a lot of backlift so you’re not really expecting it most of the time, it kind of just comes out of nowhere.
‘Left and right foot, not many people play on either wing and still cut inside and shoot off both feet. She’s really technical and I think she picks up good spaces as well.
‘It’s not a one person team, they’ve got some other great players as well. Although we have to look out for LJ, there’s a lot of other players that we also have to look out for and nullify them as well.’
Barca have their own star players and Walsh plays alongside two of them in midfield - Patricia Guijarro and Aitana Bonmati. The Lionesses star believes her game has improved
‘Playing with Patri, Aitana and Alexia [Putellas] is back in training now I think you can really see their quality and for me, they are the best players in the world, and I feel lucky to play with them.
‘I think the way that they move with or without the ball, especially Aitana, when she's attacking she's so hard to play against in training. I feel sorry for the girls when they're playing against her. She's everywhere all the time and Patri is tactically unbelievable.
‘Two of the best players in the world and I'm lucky to play with them.’
Barca will play their second leg against Chelsea at the Nou Camp. The club twice broke the attendance record for a women’s football match at the stadium last year - with 91,553 watching them beat Real Madrid before 91,600 turned up to see them thrash Wolfsburg.
Walsh is hoping for another big crowd when they face Chelsea and praised the incredible connection between the club and its fans.
‘I think even when you’re walking around the city, the fans and the people have a lot of respect for the women’s team. I’ve probably never felt that to this extent before.
‘When you’re playing at Camp Nou, it’s such a special feeling when you’re walking out. You do get goosebumps when you can hear the fans, when they’re banging the drum and they’re kind of walking up and down, I probably shouldn’t be looking when the game is going on!
‘You can feel it and the atmosphere is incredible. I just feel lucky to be a part of it and a part of Barcelona.’