On May 25th, the UEFA Women’s Champions League final will take place in San Mamés (Bilbao). But before that, we will get to know the finalists, who are competing for the two available spots in the final. The first semi-final will be a matchup between FC Barcelona and Chelsea, while in the other Olympique Lyonnais and Paris Saint-Germain will face off.
The favourites to advance are FC Barcelona and Olympique Lyonnais. However, the both of them will have to deal with the handicap of playing the second leg of their respective matchups away from their home ground. The first 180 minute semi-final between Barça and Chelsea will take place this saturday at 1:30 p.m. at Montjuic, while the second leg will be held at Stamford Bridge (London) on the 27th of April at 6:30 p.m.
Analysis of the UEFA Women’s Champions League semi-finals:
FC Barcelona – Chelsea FC:
FC Barcelona will play their second match at Estadio Olímpico Lluís Companys, where they previously thrashed Real Madrid in a 5-0 win during a Liga F match held in November. The club wants the match to be an absolute party for their fans and has already appealed its public to welcome the players at 11:15 a.m. and record multiple motivational videos to promote the match. Some major attendance are expected for the most important match of the season so far.
The series will take place exactly a year after Barcelona knocked out Chelsea in the semi-finals before winning another Champions League title at Eindhoven. In last year’s duel, the ‘azulgranas’ won 2-1 on aggregate. This time around, the matchup is a lot closer than it was in the 2021 Gotemburgo final, in which the ‘blaugranas’ beat the Londoners 4-0.
It seems like everything will be a lot closer this time, although Barça are still the clear favourites. The Catalans are having yet another historic season in which they still remain unbeaten. Their performance has been tremendous and all of their players are proving to be important in each and every part of the pitch. Only Levante (Liga F) and Benfica (UWCL) have managed a draw against them.
Jonatan Giráldez faces the semi-finals matchup with his entire roster at full throttle with the only exception of Mapi León. The return of Rolfö and Alexia are two of the major positive notes for the team, as both players have looked to be fully ready in the minutes they have been given. Hansen, Salma Paralluelo and Mariona make up the most feared front three in Europe since all of them are performing at their best. All three of them have been scoring and dishing out assists at will.
As for Chelsea, they were having an amazing season up until a month ago. They face the semi-finals in their worst moment of the year after being knocked out from the FA Cup and the Conti Cup. The Londoners will focus in their two remaining objectives: the league and the Champions League. Emma Hayes, who will leave for the USA at the end of the season (like Jonatan Giráldez) is only missing the European championship after 12 years on the job. Both managers have the chance to leave their clubs on top after lifting the UWCL.
Over the course of this campaign, Chelsea have achieved very positive results in away matches. But, this time around, they will be missing very important players like Sam Kerr, Mia Fishel, Aniek Nouwen, Millie Bright and Maren Mjelde. Lauren James could also be absent from the match, as she missed the teams victory against Aston Villa on Wednesday that allowed them to return to the top of the league’s standings. Mayra Ramírez, who joined the team a few months ago and has been one of the main sensations of the English league, will be available.
Olympique Lyonnais – PSG:
Olympique Lyonnais are the clear favourites on this side of the bracket. The Lyon based squad is king when it comes to the UWCL and is always among the candidates to feature in these kind of matches. A French derby will be held in the semi-finals, in which Paris Saint-Germain will try and upset their main national rival in the European stage.
Both French teams will face off to advance to the final. The first match will be played at Groupama Stadium (Lyon) on the 20th of April at 7 p.m. Meanwhile, the second leg of this semi-finals matchup will take place at a great stadium like the Parc de Princes (Paris) on the 28th of April at 4 p.m.
Lyon reached the semi-finals by taking down Benfica, as they commandingly beat the Portuguese squad in both matches. As for PSG, they knocked out Hacken, the dark horse of this year’s edition of the Champions League, by also winning both fixtures. This matchup already took place in the 2017 Cardiff final, in which Olympique Lyonnais won their fourth Champions League in a penalty shootout.
The roster of Olympique Lyonnais is also one of the most feared with attackers like Le Sommer, Kadidiatou Diani or Ada Hegerberg, the top scorer in the history of the competition. Among the Parisians, players like Lieke Martens, Katoto or Karchaoui stand out. The latter has been one of the sensations of the competition as a result of the offensive dynamism she brings in from the left wing.
These four teams will have a clear common goal: reaching and winning the final held in San Mamés on the 25th of May.
Who will lift the most desired trophy?
Translated by Nuño Alonso.
Main image: @FCBfemeni.
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