What to look out for in Women's Champions League group stage

It's been 17 years since a British broadside archetypal won what is present the Women's Champions League, but a 2nd European rubric could beryllium connected the horizon.

With Chelsea, Manchester City and 2007 winners Arsenal each qualifying, it is the archetypal clip that 3 English teams person reached the radical stages successful this format portion Scottish champions Celtic are making their radical signifier debut.

Here is each you request to cognize for erstwhile the radical signifier gets nether mode this week.

Holders Barcelona qualified automatically for the radical stages on with Chelsea, Lyon and Bayern Munich arsenic the winners of their respective leagues.

The 12 different teams - including Arsenal, Manchester City and Celtic - had to spell done a pugnacious qualifying process successful which two-time finalists Paris St-Germain suffered a astonishment exit.

The 16 teams are divided into groups of four, with each nine playing 1 location and 1 distant lucifer against each nine successful their group.

The apical 2 teams successful each radical advancement to the quarter-finals, which volition beryllium played successful March.

This volition beryllium the past clip the Women's Champions League has a radical signifier arsenic the tourney is acceptable to power to a caller 18-team league format for the 2025-26 play with nine teams qualifying automatically.

A Champions League trophy was the 1 happening missing from Emma Hayes' postulation erstwhile she near Women's Super League champions Chelsea successful the summer.

However, caller Blues brag Sonia Bompastor has plentifulness of acquisition erstwhile it comes to winning successful Europe, having led Lyon to Champions League glory successful 2022.

As the lone idiosyncratic to person won the contention arsenic some a subordinate and coach, Bompastor volition anticipation to assistance Chelsea spell 1 measurement further than their runners-up show 3 years ago.

Chelsea commencement their run against Real Madrid connected Tuesday - conscionable 2 days aft their WSL crippled against Manchester United was acceptable to instrumentality place, but which was postponed due to the fact that of conflicting schedules.

After 2 failed attempts astatine making it done the qualifying stages, Manchester City are into the radical stages for the archetypal clip since the 2020-21 play erstwhile they fell to eventual winners Barcelona successful the quarter-finals.

Gareth Taylor's broadside narrowly missed retired connected the WSL rubric to Chelsea past play and the City brag thinks his broadside "can spell a agelong way" successful Europe this year.

Arsenal were semi-finalists 2 seasons ago, but were beaten by Paris FC successful past year's qualifiers and fell abbreviated successful the WSL rubric contention - finishing 5 points down Chelsea and City.

The summation of experienced midfielder Mariona Caldentey, a three-time Champions League victor with Barcelona, could instrumentality Arsenal to the adjacent level.

Celtic, meanwhile, are the archetypal Scottish broadside to suffice for the Women’s Champions League radical signifier since it was introduced successful 2020.

The nine person been connected a singular emergence nether caput manager Elena Sadiku, winning their archetypal Scottish Women's Premier League past season.

They cruised done the Champions League qualifying rounds, but tougher tests await successful Group B against Chelsea and Real Madrid.

As the two-time defending champions, Barcelona volition erstwhile again beryllium the overwhelming favourites to assistance the trophy successful Lisbon successful May.

The Spanish side, who person played successful the past 4 finals, are aiming to go conscionable the 2nd nine aft Lyon to triumph 3 consecutive titles.

Their squad is afloat of players from Spain's 2023 World Cup winning side, including Ballon d'Or winners Aitana Bonmati and Alexia Putellas.

Lyon's dominance successful the Women's Champions League has travel to an extremity successful caller years, but the French nine volition beryllium seen arsenic the biggest challengers to Barcelona, having defeated them successful the 2022 final.

However, the eight-time winners are entering a caller epoch without Bompastor astatine the helm and are yet to beryllium themselves nether erstwhile Arsenal brag Joe Montemurro.

Wolfsburg, arsenic two-time winners and runners-up successful 2023, would usually beryllium seen arsenic contenders, but their presumption arsenic Germany's apical squad has been stolen by Bayern Munich, who person won the past 2 Frauen-Bundesliga titles.

Bayern person reached the semi-finals doubly before, but they fell successful the radical stages past play aft conceding a precocious equaliser to PSG successful their last radical game.

See the afloat database of fixtures here.