English golf equipment are having one other sturdy season to this point within the Ladies’s Champions League – so the place do they stand going into the knockout phases?
Defending champions Arsenal secured a seeded play-off spot, alongside debutants Manchester United, with a 3-0 victory over OH Leuven on Wednesday.
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United recorded a 1-0 win at Juventus, whereas Chelsea have gone one higher than their home rivals. They’re routinely via to the quarter-finals following a 2-1 win at Wolfsburg.
The draw for the play-offs takes place at 12:00 GMT on Thursday, 18 December, whereas the quarter-final ties will probably be performed on 24-25 March and 1-2 April.
Chelsea impress on approach to final eight
Chelsea went unbeaten within the league part with 4 wins and two attracts [Getty Images]
Chelsea’s marketing campaign bought off to an underwhelming begin after they drew 1-1 with FC Twente in October, however since then they’ve regarded spectacular, scored bucketloads of objectives, and remained unbeaten.
They completed third within the desk with 4 wins from six, scoring 20 objectives and conceding simply three – solely Barcelona matched their purpose distinction.
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Sonia Bompastor’s aspect have had their justifiable share of European heartbreak, typically by the hands of three-time champions Barcelona, who beat them 8-2 on mixture in final season’s semi-finals.
But the Blues had been the one staff to take factors off Barcelona on this 12 months’s league part, securing a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge in November.
That put them in a robust place to safe a top-four computerized qualification spot they usually pounced on the chance, with a ruthless 6-0 win over St Polten adopted by Wednesday’s large win at Wolfsburg.
Chelsea will face both Manchester United or Arsenal within the quarter-finals ought to their English rivals each win their two-legged play-offs.
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They can’t meet Barcelona or eight-time winners Lyon till not less than the semi-finals.
In addition to their sturdy outcomes, Chelsea have been boosted by the return of injured gamers, most notably forwards Sam Kerr and Lauren James.
With primary goalkeeper Hannah Hampton additionally set to return following the winter break, Bompastor’s squad are nicely positioned to chase an elusive European title.
Title defence rolls on as Arsenal seek for kind
Defending champions Arsenal completed exterior the automated qualification spots [Getty Images]
Arsenal started the defence of their European title with defeat by giants Lyon of their opening match of the league part.
They misplaced 3-2 at Bayern Munich in November and scraped via a troublesome night at dwelling to Actual Madrid to select up a 2-1 win, holding their qualification hopes on observe.
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A nervy 1-0 win over FC Twente ensured they might make not less than the play-offs, they usually eased to a 3-0 win over Leuven on Wednesday to assert fifth place.
It has not been a convincing season by any means and Arsenal would have been aiming for computerized qualification to the quarter-finals, however given the dip in kind and the place they discovered themselves in November, they’ve accomplished nicely.
They await Thursday’s draw (12:00 GMT) to seek out out if they’ll play Atletico Madrid or Leuven within the play-offs.
Ought to they get via that, they’ve Chelsea or Bayern Munich ready within the quarter-finals.
Renee Slegers’ Gunners aspect produced the unthinkable final season after they surprised Barcelona to win the title, after managerial upheaval earlier within the marketing campaign, and they are going to be looking for recent inspiration to proceed their run this time.
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Debutants Man Utd exceed expectations
Ahead Melvine Malard has been a key participant for Manchester United this season [Getty Images]
Given that is United’s debut season in the principle draw of the Ladies’s Champions League, head coach Marc Skinner will be happy together with his aspect’s progress.
A 2-1 dwelling win towards Paris St-Germain and a 1-0 win at Juventus had been the choose of the bunch as United grabbed 4 victories from their six matches.
Their goal was all the time to complete inside the highest 12 and to cap it off with a seeded spot within the play-offs was a robust end to the league part.
Nevertheless, their 3-0 defeat by Lyon in December confirmed the hole between United and Europe’s elite, so larger challenges lie forward.
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Skinner has known as for motion within the January switch window, saying he should add squad depth if United wish to maintain competing in Europe.
They averted a possible assembly with Arsenal within the play-offs following Wednesday’s victory in Turin and can face both Leuven or Atletico Madrid subsequent.
Skinner will hope key England internationals Jess Park and Ella Toone stay match, whereas two-time champion Fridolina Rolfo – who has performed in 5 finals together with her former golf equipment Barcelona and Wolfsburg – can use her expertise to information them additional.
How the highest half of the desk regarded following six league part matches [BBC]
[BBC]
Ben Haines, Ellen White and Jen Beattie are again for one more season of the Ladies’s Soccer Weekly podcast. New episodes drop each Tuesday on BBC Sounds, plus discover interviews and additional content material from the Ladies’s Tremendous League and past on the