The knockout phases of the UEFA Girls’s Champions League are right here, and there are some blockbuster fixtures to come back.
Barcelona are the present holders of the competitors, having overcome Lyon within the closing final season, and they’re undoubtedly among the many favourites as soon as once more. All three English golf equipment, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester Metropolis, have reached the quarter-finals, with two set to face one another within the subsequent spherical.
Each of Germany’s high golf equipment, Bayern Munich and Wolfsburg, have progressed, whereas eight-time winners Lyon additionally made it by means of the group stage and shall be decided to win their first title since 2022.
90min predicts the result of the quarter-final ties and who will progress into the final 4…
The primary tie will see Girls’s Tremendous League giants Arsenal tackle Actual Madrid. The Spanish membership’s greatest run within the competitors got here in 2022 after they reached the quarter-finals, whereas Arsenal lifted the trophy in 2007 and had been semi-finalists as not too long ago because the 2022/23 marketing campaign.
After a poor begin to the season below Jonas Eidevall, the Gunners have been in sturdy type since Renee Slegers took cost in October. They topped their group within the Champions League and have additionally turned their home marketing campaign round.
Actual Madrid stay second in Liga F behind Barcelona, however they proved their high quality within the group stage with slim defeats to Chelsea. This shall be a intently contested tie, however over two legs, Arsenal ought to have sufficient to progress.
Predicted tie winner: Arsenal
Subsequent up, eight-time winners Lyon will face Bayern Munich within the final eight. After falling to Barcelona in final season’s closing in Bilbao, Lyon are again with some extent to show.
The French membership’s standing as one of the best crew in girls’s soccer has been challenged in recent times by Barcelona’s fast rise, however they are going to be decided to reclaim their crown. Bayern’s greatest end within the competitors was the semi-finals in 2020/21. But they’ve fail to transcend the quarter-finals in two of the final three seasons, and didn’t make it out of the group stage final time period.
The Frauen-Bundesliga title race is extraordinarily tight, with Eintracht Frankfurt simply three factors behind Bayern, forcing them to stability their priorities. Lyon, in the meantime, stay unbeaten in Division 1 Female and have a extra comfy lead, permitting them to focus totally on the Champions League, which must be sufficient to see them by means of.
Predicted tie winner: Lyon
The draw couldn’t be a lot harder for Wolfsburg as they put together to face Barcelona, who’ve gained three of the final 4 UEFA Girls’s Champions League titles. The German aspect had been narrowly overwhelmed 3-2 by Barcelona within the 2023 closing, a defeat that can nonetheless be contemporary within the minds of their gamers.
There isn’t a denying that Wolfsburg are the underdogs on this tie, however they’re embracing that standing with open arms. The strain is firmly on Barcelona, as most anticipate them to progress.
That being stated, Barcelona haven’t regarded as invincible this season, struggling defeat to Manchester Metropolis within the group stage and shedding as soon as in Liga F. That gives Wolfsburg a glimmer of hope, however over two legs, the Spanish aspect ought to have sufficient to recover from the road.
Predicted tie winner: Barcelona
Probably the most mouth-watering tie of all is between English giants Chelsea and Manchester Metropolis. For Chelsea, this season seems like the proper alternative to go all the way in which in Europe and make up for his or her 2021 closing defeat to Barcelona.
Underneath new supervisor Sonia Bompastor, who has expertise successful this competitors with Lyon, the London membership appear like a special power this season. They strengthened considerably, including Lucy Bronze in the summertime and Keira Walsh in January, each of whom lifted the trophy with Barcelona in 2023 and 2024. The arrival of Naomi Girma, arguably one of the best defender on the earth, additionally offers them an additional edge as they enter the latter phases of the competitors.
Metropolis, alternatively, have by no means progressed past the quarter-finals, and their drop-off within the WSL title race suggests they’re struggling to compete on all fronts. March will see these two sides face off 4 instances throughout a number of competitions, including an additional layer of intrigue to this tie.
That unpredictable dynamic makes this one of many hardest quarter-finals to name, however in case you needed to again one crew, Chelsea’s larger expertise in Europe simply offers them the sting.
