da blaze casino: Chelsea will face Ajax in the quarter-finals of the Women's Champions League with Barcelona likely to be waiting in the semi-finals if they prevail.
da dobrowin: Article continues below
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Chelsea draw Ajax; Barca get BrannWinners to meet in last fourPSG and Lyon also learn fatesWHAT HAPPENED?
A meeting between the two in the last four would be a repeat from last season, when Barca narrowly beat the Blues 2-1 over two legs. Ajax and Brann, both of whom have been two of the most eye-catching stories in this year's competition, will not roll over, though. The Dutch side, on their UWCL group stage debut, out-qualified Bayern Munich and Roma to reach this stage while Brann only finished a point behind eight-time champions Lyon in Group B.
On the other side of the draw, Paris Saint-Germain were paired with Hacken, who beat Real Madrid to a place in the last eight, while Lyon will take on a Benfica side that has gained a lot of experience in this competition in recent years. Winners of those two ties will meet in the second semi-final.
AdvertisementWOMEN'S CHAMPIONS LEAGUE DRAW IN FULL
Brann vs Barcelona
Benfica vs Lyon
Ajax vs Chelsea
Hacken vs PSG
GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE
This season's Champions League campaign carries extra significance for Chelsea following the news that manager Emma Hayes will leave the club at the end of the season to become the new head coach of the United States women's national team. Hayes has turned the Blues into the dominant force in England in her time in charge but she and the club have never won the UWCL. Doing so as part of her 'Last Dance' is going to be an extraordinary challenge, too, as not only will the London club likely have to defeat holders Barca in the semi-finals but possibly also record-winners Lyon in the final.
DID YOU KNOW?
Barcelona and Lyon are the only previous winners of this competition who remain in this season's edition. Barca are the reigning champions and have won the trophy in two of the past three years, while Lyon have been crowned queens of the continent a record eight times.