Manchester City are preparing for their UEFA Women's Champions League quarter-final clash with fellow English side Chelsea, as they hope to achieve European glory.
Manchester City's Champions League quarter-final fixture against Chelsea is set to take place this week, only a few days after the Sky Blues failed to surpass the same opponents in the FA League Cup final where they lost 2-1.
The final was the second meeting between the two this season, the first ending in a 2-0 win for Chelsea in the Women's Super League and then the 2-1 victory that secured Chelsea the League Cup trophy.
This month, the Cityzens have been scheduled to play the Blues four different times. There are now three of the four remaining, first in the UWCL, then the WSL and then back to the UWCL, all these fixtures coming right after the other.
A crucial period of time for Manchester City, whose season could very much be determined after these matches. They have already lost two chances of winning silverware: in the Women's Super League and the League Cup. They have two more opportunities to win a trophy, in the FA Cup where they have made the semi-final and will play rivals Manchester United, and then the Champions League but will need to overcome this huge Chelsea tie.
The Sky Blues will be aiming to achieve their first win over Chelsea this season and find the vital performance they need to eliminate them from the Champions League.
While it could be thought that since we've already seen how City weren't able to beat Chelsea only a few days ago maybe that seals what will happen in the UWCL, it is to be remembered that we have seen a very similar pattern from the Sky Blues this season; where they have gotten beaten by Arsenal and Manchester United, to only go and find victories over them a few days later in a different competition.
After replacing Gareth Taylor, this will be Nick Cushing's second game in charge and he will need to make sure that his team can bring something big to the stage.
UEFA Women's Champions League fixtures
- Real Madrid vs Arsenal - Tuesday the 18th at 17:45 (UK Time)
- Bayern Munich vs Lyon - Tuesday the 18th at 20:00 (UK Time)
- Wolfsburg vs Barcelona - Wednesday the 19th at 17:45 (UK Time)
- Manchester City vs Chelsea - Wednesday the 19th at 20:00 (UK Time)
Nick Cushing ahead of the match
"There have been some incredible results this season. I think the players know they're a good team."
"They beat Barcelona (UWCL group stage), beat Arsenal to get to the final we just played. The team know they are good, but we need the real belief to win trophies. When you see that, they will just go on and consistently win."
"I actually think Saturday's result is fuel for this team, You can see the ambition they have."
Kerolin Nicoli on potential Europe debut
"I'm really happy and excited, it's kind of like a dream. But I need to be really focused on how to help the team."
"Now is the time to make history. We're ready for that and will try to do our best."
"We always want to win but we knew it would be hard. We were working to do different things in different ways."
"It's not going to be easy, but we're ready and we will try our best to win."
Man City Square prediction
Manchester City 1-2 Chelsea