Key events
28 min: Falk has a poor clearance and the ball comes to Kerr but she has a poor pass seeing Häcken on the break. Buchanan does well to track the ball and puts in a great tackle to win it back.
26 min: Reiten is over the set piece again and the delivery isn’t the best, it sails over Kerr’s head. Sandberg does really well to marshal the ball out of play to prevent another Chelsea chance.
24 min: Kerr has a great run but her pass into the area isn’t accurate and Häcken are able to clear. Chelsea only need one of these final third passes to come off and they will be ahead. Once again they find themselves in a good position but Cuthbert’s shot is blocked, it comes to Kaneryd and she wins a corner.
22 min: Chelsea win yet another corner, they need to make more of these set pieces, and Reiten steps up once again. It’s a good delivery but Kerr’s header doesn’t have enough on it to trouble Falk. There are some protests from Chelsea players for a penalty after a handball but nothing is given.
21 min: A really good bit of build-up from Chelsea but Kerr loses out on the edge of the area, some great defending from Luik.
19 min: A slower pace has hit the game in the past few minutes, Häcken able to take the sting out of Chelsea’s attack. The question is if the visitors can keep smothering Chelsea like this throughout the match, if they can they will be able to get something from this clash.
17 min: Chelsea are doing well to break Häcken down in the midfield but it’s in the final third that the visitors’ defence is iron clad. The press is impressive and they swarm the ball. And here is why Chelsea need to remain switched on, Häcken break and have a shot but Musovic collects.
15 min: Reiten takes the set piece once more and it pinballs around, eventually falling to Buchanan whose header is wide. Häcken decide to play it out from the back and it pays off with a good clearance but a long ball only finds the feet of Carter and Chelsea are able to control the game again.
14 min: A long build-up for Chelsea as Häcken impressively marshal the Blues forward left and right. The hosts eventually weave the ball into the box but it’s out again for a corner.
13 min: How have Chelsea not scored there? Reiten found herself in a one-on-one with Falk but her shot is well saved by the keeper. Chelsea building into this one but will be ruing their missed chances so far. Häcken are yet to have a touch in the Chelsea box but they are a patient side who are impressive on the counter.
12 min: Reiten takes it and Kerr takes a one touch shot which goes narrowly wide, she puffs out her cheeks in frustration. Chelsea win the ball back in the midfield and Reiten pings it upfield but Falk manages to clear but the hosts come again. Kerr finds Charles but her shot hits the sidenetting.
10 min: A lovely move sees Reiten thread the ball to Kerr but the captain is offside. Chelsea come again, cheered on by a loud crowd, and they win yet another corner.
8 min: Kirby is now back on the pitch, she is okay to continue.
7 min: Kirby limps to the side, she hasn’t officially been replaced and Chelsea play with 10 for now. They have a corner which is hit out for another set piece, Reiten takes it but it’s cleared.
6 min: Kirby has had a long period of treatment here, she landed awkwardly after falling crossing that ball in. James warming up here, it could be an early exit for the England international.
5 min: Häcken try and play out of the back but Kerr intercepts, however she can’t make much of it. It comes to Kirby, who scuffs it across goal but there are no teammates there to hit it home. In the effort Kirby had hurt herself, she is clutching her knee and has signalled for the medical team – not a good sign.
4 min: Reiten, Kerr and Kirby all connect well in some interplay but the final pass is frantic and they can’t convert but they do win a corner. Reiten takes the set piece but it’s cleared.
2 min: An exchange of possession early in this one, both sides finding their feet with no real chance yet.
Kick-off! Chelsea 0-0 Häcken
Here we go, the game is underway.
The players are out at Stamford Bridge and the crowd are raring to go for this one. Can Hacken keep their perfect run going? Or can Chelsea top the group? All to come.
Chelsea manager Emma Hayes has had some good news this week as she is among the shortlisted nominees for Women’s Manager of the Year at the FIFA Best awards. She is alongside Barcelona boss Jonatan Giraldez and England manager Sarina Wiegman.
There are three other fixtures happening in the competition today. Bayern Munich v Ajax finished 1-1 and Paris FC beat Real Madrid 2-1. The other match, PSG v Roma, will kick-off at 8pm GMT and I’ll keep you up to date with that score when I can.
So sorry about the absence for the last few minutes, my laptop shut down. No fear I am back now, just under 20 minutes until kick-off.
The return of snack chat is here. I had such a big lunch today that I am only snacking this evening so I have quite an extensive amount of packets around me at the moment. Monster Munch, some raspberries and Skittles – a weird yet wonderful mix. What snacks have you got for this one? Get in touch via email to let me know.
Hayes also spoke on their opponents this evening and on the importance of not underestimating them: “They’re very resilient defensively, tough to break down, and very clinical. They take their chances, especially in the transitions. You have to be switched on, particularly from set-plays. They’ve just proved their efficiency. We’ve prepared in the best way. We only had one day preparation time, but we’re used to doing this and we don’t take them lightly. I know the team is switched on, trained really well today, and our focus is all on tomorrow evening.”
Lauren James has been subjected to a lot of online abuse this week in the wake of Chelsea’s 4-1 defeat to Arsenal. The Blues put out a statement in support of their player and manager Emma Hayes has spoken on the issue this week. She said: “I think we have to realise for a young person, in a day and age when social media is unbelievably vitriolic, some of the nasty language and labelling and name-calling goes over the edge. And if you add racism to that for her, you can understand why her mental health is not in a very good place this week.” Read the full story:
The team news is in! Chelsea are without Millie Bright through a knee injury and so Sam Kerr will skipper the side. Lauren James is named in the side but she starts from the bench.
Chelsea: Musovic, Perisset, Buchanan, Carter, Charles, Cuthbert, Ingle, Kaneryd, Kirby, Reiten, Kerr.
Hacken, meanwhile, have started Katariina Kosola and Rosa Kafaji who have been affective goalscorers for them so far in the competition.
Hacken: Larisey, Sandberg, Kafaji, Anvegard, Sorensen, Bergman-Lundin, Junttila Nelhage, Lulk, Rybrink, Kosola, Falk.
Preamble
Hello and welcome back to the Women’s Champions League. Tonight we have Chelsea v Hacken and it will be an intriguing fixture as Hacken have surprised a lot of fans and media with their performances so far.
Hacken are top of group C as they have won both of their matches so far this campaign. They defeated Real Madrid 2-1 and beat Paris FC 2-1. Chelsea, meanwhile, beat Paris FC 4-1 but drew 2-2 with Real Madrid which means they sit in second.
A win for Chelsea today would see them top the group before the two teams meet again next week. And the Blues head into the match off of the back of a 4-1 thumping in the Women’s Super League dealt by Arsenal.
Before we take a look at what has been said this week, as well as how the other games are going, the team news should be out shortly. The big question will be if Lauren James plays for Chelsea today after having a tough week following online abuse – more on this soon. Stay tuned for updates before kick-off at 8pm GMT.
