Magda Eriksson Says It Is Time For Bayern To Prove Themselves In UWCL

FC Bayern defender Magdalena Eriksson says it gives her “goosebumps” thinking about playing in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Women’’s Champions League this week.

The German champions prepare to take on the eight-time winners of the Champions League, Olympique Lyonnais, currently the league leaders in France and unbeaten during regulation time in all competitions so far this season. FC Bayern have never progressed beyond the semi-finals, going out in the last eight four times and not even reaching the knockout stages last season.

For Eriksson, who herself is yet to win the competition in her time at Linköpings FC or Chelsea, it means that she feels the club have something to prove when they take on Lyon in the first leg of the quarter-final in Munich tomorrow, a match shown live exclusively on the DAZN platform. “We are extremely hungry about reaching this knockout stage because last year we unfortunately missed out on it.”

“We were gutted that we missed out on this last season, it was a huge disappointment for us. This is exactly where we want to be. I think this is where we should be as a team. We’ve had a good start domestically and we’ve been strong domestically over time and I think now it’s time to prove ourselves in Europe.”

Eriksson was part of the Chelsea team who dramatically eliminated FC Bayern in extra time of the UEFA Women’s Champions League semi-finals in 2021, the German side’s best-ever run in the competition. As captain of Chelsea, Eriksson would however miss out on the opportunity to lift the trophy in her home country, losing the final 0-4 to FC Barcelona in Gothenburg.

At the age of 31, she revealed her desire to lift the one major domestic honor which has eluded her. “I almost get goosebumps thinking about how much it would mean. It’s hard to express how much it would mean. It is a trophy that I also have not won yet. If it would be my first time to do it together with this team, this group of girls that I’m with at the moment, it would mean so much because it’s a fantastic group.”

“It’s really a team, a team environment. There are no egos, no-one is above anyone else. There’s no superstars, everyone is working together against this common goal, which is winning as many trophies as we can and we are feeling good in each other’s company and I think winning means even more when are you are in a group like that.”

In her time at Chelsea, Eriksson has had many battles with Olympique Lyonnais, winning their last tie after a titanic quarter-final two years ago which went to a penalty shoot-out. She knows their qualities only too well. “Lyon as a team, they have a core of players who are still there from the time when I played them but then they have added a few spices – Chawinga, Diani, Dumornay – players who are extremely sharp, extremely quick, ’x-factor’ players who can make a difference for them.”

“We had Chawinga, then of Paris Saint-Germain, in our group last year and so we played against her two times. We could feel the threat that she poses. She’s just a fantastic player and she’s settled really well into the Lyon side. Diani is always a threat, really strong ‘one v one’ players. I think we all know Wendie Renard as well from corners, from set pieces, she’s extremely strong too. So I think, there’s enough threats from Lyon but I can hope we can stop them.”

Bayern warmed up for their tie against Lyon by defeating their perennial domestic rivals VfL Wolfsburg in the Frauen Bundesliga on Friday. It is a result which leaves them six points clear of their opponents and poised to win the German league title for the third season in a row, which would be a first for the club.

In the midst of a busy period for club and country, Eriksson confessed she cannot wait for the challenges to come. “I’m extremely excited going into this period. I’ve been really looking forward to exactly this period of the season because this is when it all happens. This is when you have to be at your best, all the time, especially as a defender, coming up amazing strikers. It’s what I love to do.”

Lyon won all six of their group stage matches before Christmas and despite surprisingly going out of the Coupe de France to Stade de Reims on penalties in January, they lead the French league by eight points and have scored at least four goals in each of their last four games, gaining revenge on Reims by thrashing them 8-1 on Friday.

Eriksson accepts they will be FC Bayern’s toughest opponents this season. “Definitely, they are showing domestically in their league, also throughout the group stage, what a strong team they have. They still are a powerhouse in women’s football. They have that history, they have those players who have also played in these games, so many of these kind of games.”

“They are definitely going to our biggest test so far of the season, but I also think, timing-wise, it’s a really good time for us to play them because we feel really strong at the moment. I think we are ready for this challenge.”