The Blues succumbed to a heavy defeat to Barcelona in the 2021 Champions League final of the competition, but in recent times the gap between the two has significantly narrowed as the rivalry has intensified.

In the semi-final two years ago, Barcelona would beat Chelsea by just a single goal over two legs, before Chelsea shocked El Femeni by ending their five-year unbeaten home record with a 1-0 win in Spain last season.

Barca ultimately went through with a win at Stamford Bridge, when the Blues went down to ten players, but that first-leg victory was a warning of the rapidly closing distance between the two sides.

To discover more about the evolution of this budding rivalry, we spoke to one of our longest serving players Erin Cuthbert, as well as Mayra Ramirez – who was well used to facing the Spanish side during her spell in Liga F – and Keira Walsh who joined Chelsea from Barcelona in January.

Those players gave their unique insights ahead of this weekend’s first leg at the Estadi Johan Cruyff.

A growing rivalry

Having joined Chelsea back in 2017, Cuthbert has been on hand to experience all the twists and turns of facing Barca over the years, and thinks that defeat in the 2021 final was an eye-opening game in terms of the work we needed to do to reach that level.

‘I think they were a little bit ahead at that point in time. We tried to bridge the gap, but they've got some incredible players and unbelievable quality in their dressing room. I think that was a good moment for the club to reassess and see where we're at.

'The games since then have just got marginally tighter, the gap is closing and it's a two-legged tie. Anything can happen. I just say until that 90th minute, until the whistle has gone in the second game, we won’t ever give up.

‘I think the rivalry has just grown naturally because they've put us out and beat us over both legs for a number of years and obviously in that final too. So we want to beat them and we want to get one over them because they've got the upper hand at the moment.

‘I enjoy the rivalry. I think it's great that women's football has rivalries and that new rivalries are created in women's football. Certainly for us players, it's just another game. It's just a semi-final and a chance to get in a final. And that's what we're focused on.'

Heading into the third consecutive Champions League semi-final against Barcelona is no easy task, especially when considering the recent results between the two sides.

Yet far from feeling apprehensive over the thought of another match-up against a top level team, Cuthbert is looking ahead to the two-legged clash full of enthusiasm.

She said: ‘I think for me, I’m excited that we are in a semi-final with this club, and we get the chance to face another top club in Europe. They've historically been the best for a number of years now.

‘There's no better test than going up against the best in the semi-final (or final) of the Champions League. It's where us players dream of playing when we were younger and we have to just go out, enjoy the moment and seize every opportunity.’

Facing Barcelona in the league

While Cuthbert has experienced games against the Spanish club on handful of occasions, Mayra Ramirez experienced what it was like to play against Barcelona during a domestic campaign while playing in Liga F.

The Colombia international joined Sporting de Huelva back in 2020, before earning a move to Levante two years later.

‘Ever since I arrived in Spain, it was always Barcelona,’ says Ramirez. ‘When I played at Sporting de Huelva, we were fighting to stay in the top flight, and it was so tough to play against them.

‘They have a team full of great players, and they are always fighting to win the league by a big margin or win the Champions League.'

Ramirez scored 14 goals and provided 11 assists in the league for Levante during the 2022/23 season, a record that caught the eye of Chelsea as they signed her in January of the following season.

Playing at higher level allowed the striker to face Barcelona on a more even keel. Now, after having been away for almost a season and a half, she feels that gulf is rapidly reducing.

‘My experience with Levante was totally different,' the Colombia international continued. 'Sporting were just trying to avoid relegation to the Second Division, whereas Levante was always looking to fight to be in the Champions League qualification places. So, I experienced it from both sides.

‘At Levante, we played several finals against Barca, the Supercopa and the Copa de la Reina. So, I learned a lot during those matches and now we must take advantage of that a little bit.

‘For me Barca are the team that leads the way in Spain. I feel that Real Madrid are gradually catching up, but Barca are always ready to win the league, always looking for the best players to win titles. However, I do think women's football is growing in Spain. At any moment, Atletico Madrid, Levante or Real Madrid will make a big jump forward in quality.

‘Now that I'm at a big club like Chelsea, who are always competing for the same objectives, we have a good chance of competing and achieving our objectives against them.’

View from the other side

Keira Walsh won back-to-back Champions League trophies with the Spanish side in 2023 and 2024, and has been an instant hit since swapping life in Spain to join Chelsea in January this year.

Having played the first half of the season for the Catalan outfit, the midfielder is ideally placed to give some insight on what it was like to go against the Blues last season.

‘Everyone at Barcelona was a bit apprehensive,’ said Walsh. ‘I think we were very, very aware of the threats that Chelsea could pose and the players they had. We knew it wasn't going to be an easy game at all.

‘Obviously last year when Barcelona lost the first leg, there were a few nerves going into the second one. We did manage to turn it around, but we knew that it could easily have been different because Chelsea were a top team and were really difficult to beat.

‘Physically, it was really, really tough too. It was hard to break Chelsea down. When they were defending, they were really disciplined and really aggressive. I think Barca had to think about keeping their heads and moving the ball.

‘But physically, and obviously on the transition, Chelsea were really good in the first leg last year with Mayra up front. We knew that she was really dangerous and we just had to focus on stopping the counter attack. But it was mostly an end-to-end game, I would say. It was difficult.’

All eyes on Walsh

Walsh - like long-standing team-mate Lucy Bronze - is in the unique position of having viewed the rivalry from both sides.

Now Keira's focus is solely blue, she feels the home leg in particular will be crucial to progressing through to the final in Lisbon on 24 May.

She said: ‘I think obviously playing them three times in a semi-final, the rivalry naturally grows. I just remember when I was at Barcelona we were really, really aware of how good Chelsea were.

‘I think with Chelsea winning last year away from home, I think it really ramped it up even more for the Barca girls. I think they would probably not want that to happen again and vice versa here.

'We really want to win, and especially at Stamford Bridge. I think that's really important for this team.’

Don't miss your chance to be at Stamford Bridge for the second leg of our Champions League semi-final against Barcelona on Sunday 27 April. Tickets are still available here.