With just one day until the UEFA Women’s Champions League Quarter-finals commence, the idea of getting their hands on the trophy is becoming more and more reachable for the eight sides left.
Arsenal open the Quarter-finals tomorrow night away to Bayern at the Allianz Arena. Both sides have had their fair share of wins recently, but Bayern’s impressive 11 match winning streak is nothing but threatening for Eidevall’s team. Despite this, Arsenal know what winning this competition feels like- as Alex Scott’s 91st minute goal secured the title- so will be on the hunt to replicate this.
With the Gunners’ injury crisis, which includes Vivianne Miedema’s ACL injury that occurred in their 1-0 loss against Lyon in their last Champions League fixture, the resigning Jodie Taylor until the end of the season is bound to help.
Lioness legend Georgia Stanway has already made her impact at Bayern, and will undoubtedly increase the games’ intensity.
Tuesday evening will also see Roma host Barcelona at the Stadio Olimpico. Barcelona are undefeated in their last 5 matches, whilst Roma have only suffered one loss in their last 5, which creates an exciting fixture.
The 2020/21 UEFA Women’s Champions League final saw a comfortable 4-0 win for Barcelona against Chelsea, in which double Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas found herself on the scoresheet in the 14th minute. With such a pivotal player such as Putellas out until the 2023/24 season with an ACL injury, Barcelona will have more work on their hands ahead of the quarter-finals.
Reigning champions, Lyon, will invite Chelsea to Groupama Stadium for Wednesday’s fixture. An intimidating 8 UEFA Women’s Champions League titles is what Chelsea will encounter during the quarter-finals stage, and with Emma Hayes’ side falling short in the 2020/21 Champions League final against Barcelona, there is everything to prove.
Lauren James, a rising star on everyone’s mind when the WSL is mentioned, will provide a threat in the final third and the ability to drift around oppositions with ease.
The final fixture in the first leg of the Quarter-finals will see Paris host Wolfsburg on Wednesday. Wolfsburg have won this competition two years in a row- 2012/13 and 2013/14- which highlights the clubs previous success and desire to maintain this during this years campaign. Despite the title being uneven between the two sides, their previous meets have resulted in one win for Paris, as well as a win for Wolfsburg.
Both teams appear in form, with Paris winning 5 out of their 5 previous matches, and Wolfburg falling slightly short of this with 4 victories. Kadidiatou Diani is arguably one of the greatest current strikers, with 17 goals and 6 assists in just 16 matches, her striking and creation ability is threatening for Wolfsburg’s defence.
The next two weeks are extremely exciting, as all 8 teams will be striving for a Semi-final spot.