Chelsea vs Paris FC facts

Chelsea come up against a club from the French capital in the UEFA Women's Champions League for the second season running as Paris FC visit Stamford Bridge with both teams aiming for a first Group D victory.

The English side looked set to make a winning start at Real Madrid on Matchday 1, despite falling behind to Olga Carmona's deflected tenth-minute strike. Two headed goals from Niamh Charles (41) and Sam Kerr (74), from a Charles cross, gave the Londoners the lead, only for Carmona to level from the penalty spot five minutes later.

The Blues only conceded once in their Group A campaign in 2022/23 on their way to claiming 16 points – the highest tally in last season's group stage – which included two victories against Paris FC's city rivals Paris Saint-Germain (1-0 a, 3-0 h), the home game also at Stamford Bridge.

Emma Hayes' side also overcame Division 1 Féminine opponents Lyon in last season's quarter-finals, winning 4-3 on penalties at Stamford Bridge in March after an epic encounter that had finished 2-2 on aggregate (1-0 a, 1-2 h aet).

Paris were the only team among the four making their group stage debuts this season not to record a win on Matchday 1, losing 2-1 at home to Häcken. Julie Dufour's 59th-minute penalty was unable to spark a comeback after goals from Rosa Kafiji (29) and Anna Sandberg (56).

Sandrine Soubeyrand's side did eliminate the Blues' domestic rivals Arsenal in the first round of qualifying for this term's group stage. The Gunners, who reached last season's semi-finals along with Chelsea, were defeated 4-2 in a penalty shoot-out after a 3-3 draw in Linköping on 9 September.

Players to watch

Ashley Lawrence

The 28-year-old supplied the assist for fellow full-back Niamh Charles' header in the 2-2 Matchday 1 draw away to Real Madrid.

The defender, who can also play in midfield, scored her first Blues goal five minutes after coming on as a 58th-minute substitute in their 6-0 Women's Super League win at Aston Villa on 4 November.

Lawrence moved to Chelsea in July, signing a three-year deal having spent over six years in the French capital with Paris Saint-Germain, where she won the 2020/21 league title and two Coupes de France.

The Canadian international scored Paris Saint-Germain's third goal in the 3-0 Division 1 Féminine victory at Paris FC in December 2019.

The versatile player was a runner-up in the 2016/17 Women's Champions League with Les Rouge-et-Bleu, converting her penalty in the 7-6 shoot-out defeat following a 0-0 draw with Lyon in Cardiff.

Mathilde Bourdieu 

The 24-year-old scored twice in just over a minute shortly before the hour in the 3-3 Round 1 qualifying draw against Arsenal on 9 September to put her side 2-0 ahead.

Bourdieu also scored to give Paris FC a 2-1 lead in the 3-3 home first-leg draw against last season’s runners-up Wolfsburg in the Round 2 qualifier on 10 October.

The forward hit 13 league goals in 2022/23, with only Kadidiatou Diani, then with Paris Saint-Germain, scoring more in the division (17).

She joined the club, in their former guise of Juvisy, in the summer of 2016 from her first senior side Toulouse.

The attacker, a runner-up with France in the 2017 UEFA European Women's Under-19 Championship, made her first senior appearance for the national team off the bench in a 0-0 UEFA Women's Nations League home draw against Norway on 31 October.

Key facts

Chelsea

The Blues have won four and drawn two of their six home Women's Champions League group games.

Overall, Chelsea have lost only one of their 13 group stage matches (W8 D4).

The English club have kept five successive clean sheets at home in the group stage.

 Paris FC 

The French club are unbeaten in their last five away Women's Champions League matches (W3 D2).

Paris have kept four clean sheets in their last five European games outside of France.