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By Neel Shelat
While the men’s Champions League has kicked off in the new league stage format, the good old group stage is still being used in the UEFA Women’s Champions League – for one last time. After a typically dramatic and entertaining qualifying stage that saw the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, Benfica, Ajax and Häcken eliminated earlier than they would have liked, some even more tasty matchups are in store for us.
Group A
Group A is undoubtedly among the tougher ones this season as Lyon, Roma and Wolfsburg should have an epic fight for the two knockout spots. Debutantes Galatasaray, meanwhile, can only realistically aim to give the best account of themselves against such tough opponents.
Lyon are by far the most successful side in UWCL history with twice as many titles as anyone else, so they are always expected to compete till the end. They have a new head coach at the helm as Joe Montemurro took over from Sonia Bompastor this summer, so they may drop off a touch as the team gets used to his tactics.
OL certainly are not short of attacking firepower as they have an embarrassment of riches in the forward department. Eugénie Le Sommer, Kadidiatou Diani and Ada Hegerberg are all incredible goalscorers, and they will be more than ably supported by the likes of Melchie Dumornay, Tabita Chawinga and Lindsey Horan. The solidity of their defence could well determine their fate this season.
Roma and Wolfsburg will hope to dent the French side’s campaign early on and bounce back from last season’s disappointments in the process. The Italian champions were knocked out of the group stage, while the German giants did not even make it that far after losing to Paris FC in the qualifiers. In all likelihood, one of them will fail to reach the knockouts again.
Group B
For the first time in their history, Chelsea will begin a UWCL campaign without Emma Hayes as their head coach. They brought her successor in from Lyon, presumably hoping that Sonia Bompastor’s Champions League winning experience can help the Blues win the coveted trophy for the first time. Their squad has remained largely unchanged from the summer, so they certainly have the quality to go all the way.
Just like last season, Real Madrid find themselves in the same group as the English champions. Las Blancas will be keen to avoid a repeat of 2023/24 when they managed to register just one point in six games in a shocking campaign considering the quality in their squad, which includes numerous Spanish internationals and world champions. Alberto Toril stayed on and eventually even extended his contract despite that, but his position should come under yet more scrutiny if he fails to lead his side to the quarter-finals.
FC Twente will make their UWCL group stage debut this season, but they should not be content with just that. Real Madrid’s potentially unpredictable form means Joran Pot’s side must aim to pounce on any slip-ups from the Spanish giants. Celtic, meanwhile, will have lower expectations in their UWCL debut proper, though they too could at least impress with their performances under 30-year-old head coach Elena Sadiku.
Group C
Group C seems the clear group of death going into the tournament as all four teams have enough quality to reach the quarterfinals.
After their shock elimination in the qualifiers against Paris FC last season, Arsenal must aim to overcome any challenge and return to the knockouts. They have already succeeded in their first tough test this season as they overturned a first-leg deficit to beat Häcken 4-1 on aggregate in the qualification playoff, so that is the kind of form they will want to maintain.
As far as form goes, though, Bayern Munich cannot be outmatched. The German champions are currently on a 44-match unbeaten run in the Frauen Bundesliga having completed an invincible season last term, so they will take some stopping.
Juventus are on a comparatively humble 10-match winning streak, although that does include both legs of a tough qualification playoff against Paris Saint-Germain. New head coach Massimiliano Canzi has gotten his campaign off to a great start, but he will do very well to preserve an unbeaten record by the end of the group stage.
Norwegian side Vålerenga cannot be written off either in their UWCL group stage debut as they are on a whopping 18-match winning run. That incredible streak will enable them to wrap up the Toppserien title in the next match or two, allowing them to fully focus on continental matters.
Group D
Defending champions Barcelona are in Group D, which should be smooth sailing for them. While they did lose head coach Jonatan Giráldez to the NWSL in the summer, their style of play has hardly changed as his former assistant Pere Romeu has taken over. The Spanish champions’ attack has gotten even scarier with the addition of Polish striker Ewa Pajor, so they could put up some more cricket scores in addition to their exploits in the league.
Manchester City are the favourites to join them in the top two at the end of the group stage. Gareth Taylor’s side also added a star attacker in the summer with the signing of Vivianne Miedema, though she has started as a number eight so far. That has led to some questions being asked about the balance of the side, though that should not be a problem against the other two teams in the group.
Hammarby will face a couple of incredibly tough tests in their UWCL debut, though they are sure to produce some unforgettable moments thanks to the incredible home support at the Tele2 Arena. As ever, they have a lot of promising youngsters in the squad such as 20-year-old striker Ellen Wangerheim and former Manchester City winger Julie Blakstad, so many of their players will be closely watched on the European stage.
Austrian champions SKN St. Pölten will likely not be able to break their frustrating cycle as this will be making their third consecutive group stage appearance, but their chances of reaching the quarterfinals are quite slim.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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