Women’s Champions League: Chelsea drawn to face Ajax in quarter-finals

English champions could face holders Barcelona in last fourBenfica drawn to face Lyon, Hacken will take on PSG

Chelsea will play the Eredivisie champions Ajax in the quarter-finals of the Women’s Champions League.

Emma Hayes’s side finished top of Group D with four wins and two draws from their six fixtures in a season in which they are hoping to send their departing manager off on a high. Hayes, who will become head coach of the USA women’s national team at the end of the campaign, has made no secret of her desire to win the only trophy that has eluded her at Chelsea.

The task of getting to the final in Bilbao on 25 May is a tough one. Should Chelsea overcome Ajax they could potentially face the Champions League title holders Barcelona in the semi-finals. The Spanish side have been drawn to face Norway’s SK Brann in the quarter finals. Barcelona beat Chelsea 2-1 on aggregate to reach the final last season.

Ajax, meanwhile, beat Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and Roma at home and drew 1-1 in Munich to secure progression from Group C.

Elsewhere in the quarter-final draw on Tuesday, Benfica were drawn to face the eight-time Champions League winners Lyon while the Group D runners-up BK Hacken were drawn to face PSG.

The first legs of the quarter-finals will be played on 19-20 March with the second legs played the following week on 27-28 March. Chelsea travel to the Netherlands for the first leg before hosting Ajax in the second leg. They also have a trio of London derbies around the last-eight tie, with the Women’s Super League champions hosting Arsenal the weekend before the first leg with a trip to West Ham sandwiched between the two legs and a trip to Tottenham taking place on the weekend after the second leg.

Chelsea are able to register the January recruits Nathalie Björn and Mayra Ramirez for the knockout stages – the former Everton defender and Levante forward were unavailable for the final group game against Paris FC.