On the way to Bilbao, Barcelona, Lyon, PSG and Chelsa will play, between April 20th and 28th, for a place in the women’s Champions League final.
Now the title holders, the Catalans, face Chelsea, in what will be the rerun of the semi-final in 2023, in which Barcelona came out on top (0-1 and 1-1). Remember that the «culés» have two female Champions in the museum, won in 2021 and 2023.
This season, Barcelona won Group A, where Benfica was. In the final day of the group stage, the three-time national champions forced the Catalans to a four-goal draw, at a time when their presence in the quarter-finals was already assured.
As for Chelsea, the British won Group D, beating Real Madrid, Paris FC and Hacken, the Swedish team that secured second place. In the “quarters”, Chelsea defeated Ajax (0-3 and 1-1).
In turn, Barcelona eliminated Norwegians Brann (1-2 and 1-3).
PSG’s dream in the hands of rivals
In the other semi-final, PSG will have the tough task of doubling Lyon. In addition to leading the championship – with 17 victories in 18 rounds, and seven more points compared to their rivals – Lyon is “King” in the Champions League, winning the competition eight times (2010, 2011, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 , 2020).
To give you an idea of Lyon’s hegemony, the French are followed on this list by the Germans from 1. FFC Frankfurt, who beat the “millionaire” on four occasions. Thus, since 2015, the Champions League has only known two destinations: Barcelona or Lyon. And the same could happen this season.
Now, PSG came out on top in Group C, despite being equal on points with Ajax. Along the way were Bayern Munich and Rome. In the quarter-finals, the Parisians left Hacken behind (1-2 and 0-3).
In turn, Lyon – Benfica’s executioner – won Group B, beating Brann, Slavia Prague and St. Pölten.
This tie is a repeat of the 2022 semi-final, in which Lyon were superior (3-2 and 2-1). Furthermore, it is a repeat of the 2017 final. Imagine, Lyon also won, but only on penalties.
Having arrived here, and given what has been written above, it will be natural to point to Barcelona and Lyon as favorites. In any case, it is important to remember that Chelsea counts on the talents of forwards Mayra Ramírez, Sam Kerr and Lauren James to counter the odds.
Lyon and Barcelona met in the 2022 and 2019 finals, resulting in a “draw”. In turn, Chelsea and Barcelona crossed paths in the decisive game in 2021, with the Catalans beating them 4-0.
The semi-finals will take place between April 20th, 21st, 27th and 28th, Saturdays and Sundays. UEFA will release the schedules in the coming days. The final is scheduled for May 25th (Saturday), at 5pm, in San Mamés, Athletic Bilbao’s stadium.
O More football will broadcast the four semi-final matches.
