Previewing the UEFA Girls’s Champions League Semifinal
That includes a stacked foursome of worldwide giants, the UEFA Girls’s Champions League semifinals are set to be appointment tv.
The is all the way down to its ultimate 4, and also you couldn’t have picked larger golf equipment to succeed in this stage of the competitors.
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, , , and are titans of their business, all with ambitions of hoisting a trophy in Lisbon subsequent month. There aren’t any Cinderellas who’re merely completely happy to be right here on this grouping.
As we brace ourselves for what’s set to be a confluence of giants, let’s break down every membership and their possibilities of bringing house the coveted Champions League trophy.
FC Barcelona
The 2-time defending champions and fairly probably the usual for girls’s membership soccer, FC Barcelona Femeni as soon as once more discover themselves inside reaching distance of a UWCL title. In final 12 months’s ultimate, Barça lastly disposed of Lyon — who that they had beforehand misplaced to in each the 2019 and 2022 championship matches — and the celebrities could very nicely align for a rematch in 2025.
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Nevertheless, they’ll first must get previous a stacked Chelsea facet (extra on them later), which shall be no simple feat — simply ask .
Barcelona nonetheless have a humiliation of riches all through their roster, together with the highest three finishers from final 12 months, , , and Salma Parauello. The truth is, Barcelona presently roster 5 out of the highest 11 vote recipients of final 12 months’s award. Superteam may be an understatement.
What’s even wilder, is the membership may be higher than it was final 12 months, due to the addition of Ewa Pajor from , who’s put collectively an absurd season, amassing 30 objective contributions (22 objectives, eight assists) in 25 video games throughout all competitions.
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The same old suspects of Bonmati, Graham Hansen, , , and — oh yeah — , have all put collectively robust campaigns as nicely. Then there’s Mapi Leon, who’s doing issues within the UWCL quarters in opposition to Wolfsburg.
Parauello, one of many world’s high younger skills, missed the primary 12 Liga F matches of the season with a lingering knee damage, however she’s since returned again to her deadly self and scored three objectives over the 2 legs in opposition to Wolfsburg.
All of this to say — Barcelona stay the clear entrance runners on this competitors. They’ve gained 22 out of 24 Liga F matches to this point, with a ridiculous +81 objective differential (96 for, 15 in opposition to). Add to {that a} +31 GD by seven UWCL video games, and you’ve got a staff that’s merely working on one other degree. It’s them, then everybody else. However Chelsea aren’t any slouches both.
Chelsea
Seeking to shove the immovable object that’s Barcelona, Chelsea have been considerably of an unstoppable pressure of their very own this season. Sitting atop the WSL undefeated with 4 matches to play, the Blues make use of a stacked roster, even with out million-dollar switch , who went down with a calf damage in her membership debut, and , who tore her ACL final January.
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Their numbers aren’t as gaudy as Barcelona’s, however any mixture of Mayra Ramirez, Lauren James, Agnes Beever-Jones, Guro Reiten, or up entrance makes for an intimidating assault, and a protection anchored by Lucy Bronze, Sandy Baltimore, and Millie Shiny has allowed simply 13 objectives by 18 WSL matches this season.
Maybe the spotlight of Chelsea’s 12 months to this point got here within the UWCL quarterfinals in opposition to Manchester Metropolis, the place they put collectively a domineering 3-0 second leg victory after falling down 2-0 within the first leg.
All three objectives got here within the first half, the place Chelsea placed on an absolute clinic and possibly ought to’ve had extra to indicate for it. If they will keep that type of play in opposition to Barcelona, it’s not completely out of the query for them to tug off an upset.
Lyon
Earlier than Barcelona Femení have been the discuss of the ladies’s soccer world, there was (and nonetheless is) Olympique Lyonnais Féminin. The French powerhouse has essentially the most UWCL titles with eight — double that of second-most — and has put collectively a dominant 2024-25 marketing campaign.
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With three video games left to play within the Première Ligue season, Lyon are undefeated, profitable 18 matches and drawing one. Their +81 objective differential matches that of Barcelona, and may they end the job, it’ll be their fifth undefeated season since 2017-18. Lyon have misplaced simply three league matches in that eight-season span, and have lengthy been the category of ladies’s soccer.
Main the cost offensively is 21-year-old Haitian worldwide Melchie Dumornay, who, after displaying promise in her first 12 months with the membership final season, is in full breakout mode in 2024-25. In 23 matches throughout all competitions, she’s tallied 27 objective contributions (19 objectives, eight assists), and needs to be within the operating for a Ballon d’Or. A UWCL trophy would definitely assist her trigger.
Becoming a member of Dumornay within the assault are veterans Kadidiatou Diani and Tabitha Chawinga, whereas a dynamic midfield that includes , Damaris Egurrola, and Dzennifer Marozsán present a wealth of expertise. Vanessa Gilles and Wendie Renard — top-of-the-line middle again pairings on the earth — anchor the again line together with Ellie Carpenter on the appropriate and a platoon of Sofie Svava and Selma Bacha on the left.
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All the lineup from entrance to again is able to scoring, making Lyon one of the crucial harmful groups on the earth, and so they’ll be in search of their get-back ought to they face Barcelona within the ultimate. However a pesky Arsenal facet will first stand of their manner.
Arsenal
After a lukewarm begin to the season, Arsenal sacked supervisor Jonas Eidevall and have since misplaced only one WSL match and discover themselves trying to return to the UWCL finals for the primary time since profitable all of it in 2007.
The rejuvenated North London facet eked out a quarterfinal win in opposition to in related vogue to Chelsea — profitable the second leg 3-0 after falling 2-0 within the first. The Gunners’ resilience is the product of a roster with loads of large match expertise — Leah Williamson, Chloe Kelly, Alessia Russo, Beth Mead, and Lotte Wubben-Moy have been all a part of the Lioness squad that took house the title, and Mariona Caldentey was an integral a part of Spain’s marketing campaign.
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An American and Australian contingent consisting of , Jenna Nighswonger, Caitlin Foord, and Steph Catley convey some verve of their very own, and Dutch keeper Daphne von Domslaar is among the many greatest shot stoppers on the earth.
Like fellow London facet Chelsea, Arsenal have an uphill battle in entrance of them, however don’t anticipate them to be intimidated by their opponents.
Predictions
As a lot as we’d love for an upset or two to happen, Barcelona and Lyon are just too stacked to wager in opposition to. However whereas our picks may be boring, these semifinal ties — together with the following title match — shall be appointment tv.
A heated UWCL ultimate rematch is within the playing cards, and we are able to anticipate a packed Estádio José Alvalade come Might.
