Emma Hayes is set for her sold-out swansong at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea aim for Champions League final with second-leg win over Barcelona

A year after Emma Hayes took over at Chelsea, she sat in the Stamford Bridge stand alongside then-chairman Bruce Buck as they watched the 2013 Champions League final between Lyon and Wolfsburg.

“That will be our case one day,” Hayes said. “Then give me some time.”

Those were the days when Chelsea played their home games at Wheatsheaf Park in Staines, where Hayes once had to help clear water from the pitch.

On Saturday night she will be in the Stamford Bridge dugout for the final time, aiming to take Chelsea to only a second European final at the expense of reigning champions Barcelona.

“It’s come full circle,” Hayes told Mail Sport, reflecting on that conversation with Buck nine years ago.

Emma Hayes will be in the Stamford Bridge dugout for the last time on Saturday evening

Hayes, alongside then-president Bruce Buck, watched the 2013 Champions League final between Lyon and Wolfsburg.

On Saturday evening, Hayes will be in the Stamford Bridge dugout for the last time

“As Denise (Reddy, his assistant manager) says, this isn’t our first rodeo. We need to focus on the processes that put us in the best possible position. We are here to compete.

Barcelona beat Hayes’ Chelsea 4-0 in the 2021 final and knocked them out in the semi-finals last season. But the Catalans arrive in London bruised after Chelsea inflicted a first home defeat on them in five years in the first leg.

Hayes will leave for the US national team at the end of the season and Saturday will be his final match at Stamford Bridge.

Its first, in 2016, was also present in this competition. A crowd of just under 4,000 watched Chelsea beaten 3-0 by Wolfsburg. It is likely to be sold out today.

“It shows you how much time it takes on and off the field to close that gap,” Hayes says. “There was a gap between us and Wolfsburg on the pitch. Off the pitch, 4,000 is a good number.

Chelsea will reach the Champions League final if they beat Barcelona in the second leg.

“Maybe it took us a little too long to get to a sellout, but there is a process and it took some learning for us.

“On the pitch, you have to be present enough to make you feel at home. On one level it has perhaps become more our home this year than Kingsmeadow, particularly in the Champions League.

“Getting that good feeling, those good rituals, those good habits, it takes a little time. So going out there to a sold out stadium is the culmination of years of work, a collaborative group of people who put butts in the seats and a team that has grown to enjoy and experience Stamford Bridge as his home.

Last week’s 1-0 win over Barcelona came after a difficult few weeks. Chelsea had lost the League Cup final to Arsenal and been knocked out of the FA Cup by Manchester United, and Hayes had been criticized for his comments about Gunners manager Jonas Eidevall and his bizarre decision to read a poem during the match. ‘a press conference.

In recent weeks, Chelsea lost to Arsenal in the League Cup final and were knocked out of the FA Cup by Man United.

The Champions League is the only trophy that Hayes has not won during his successful reign at Chelsea.

But Chelsea have become accustomed to reacting to setbacks. However, few expected them to beat Barca last week. Perhaps they are more dangerous when people doubt them?

“That’s a good question and I don’t think I know the answer,” Hayes says. “I think we approach every game to win. When we had setbacks during my tenure here, we bounced back pretty quickly and I think that’s more than just being seen as an underdog. Of course we are the underdogs, because they are the European champions. But I think we are extremely resilient.

The Champions League is the only trophy Hayes has not won at Chelsea, but she is keen to deflect all attention away from herself.

“What I learned about competing is that you have to contain your emotions, you have to manage them,” Hayes added.

“It’s not that you don’t experience it. We just have to stick to our task and prepare like we always do. These players are well prepared and they are ready to do it.