The UEFA Women’s Champions League semifinal round begins on Saturday with the final four teams chasing a spot in the UEFA Women’s Champions League final. Four clubs representing three countries — FC Barcelona, Chelsea FC, Arsenal, and Olympique Lyon — will kick off the two-leg semifinals this weekend, with Barcelona and Chelsea meeting third consecutive time in the UWCL semifinal history. The two semifinal-winning teams will compete in the final at Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon, Portugal, on May 24.
In a familiar match-up, Barcelona will host Chelsea for the semifinal first leg on Sunday. The Catalonians have dominated the Blues in top-end meetings, including the 2020-21 UWCL final.
Sunday’s meeting will be the first UWCL meeting between the new coaching staff of both sides. Sonia Bompastor took over Chelsea after Emma Hayes’s departure to the U.S. women’s national team, and Pere Romeu leads Barcelona after Jonatan Giraldez moved on to manage in NWSL.
Here are storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
How to watch and odds
- Date: Sun. April 20 | Time: 12 p.m. ET
- Location: Estadi Johan Cruyff — Barcelona, Spain
- Live stream: DAZN
- Odds: Barca -400; Draw +550; Chelsea +1000
UWCL schedule
All times Eastern
First legs
Saturday April 19
Lyon 2, Arsenal 1
Sunday April 20
Barcelona vs Chelsea (12 p.m.)
Second legs
Sunday 27 April
Chelsea vs Barcelona (9 a.m.)
Lyon vs Arsenal (12 p.m)
UWCL Final
Saturday, May 24
Arsenal/Lyon vs Barcelona/Chelsea — Estádio José Alvalade — Lisbon, Portugal (12 p.m.)
Last meetings
- 2023-24 semi-finals: Barcelona 0-1/2-0 Chelsea (agg: 2-1)
- 2022-23 semi-finals: Chelsea 0-1/1-1 Barcelona (agg: 1-2)
- 2020-21 final: Chelsea 0-4 Barcelona (Gothenburg)
This will be the third consecutive time Barcelona and Chelsea have met in the UWCL semifinal round. The two European sides also faced each other during the UEFA Women’s Champions League final during the 2020-21 campaign. The recent rivalry has been one-sided, as Barcelona won each of the previous three meetings.
What Barcelona are saying
The reigning title holders are still the team with the target on their backs. Despite their winning record against Chelsea during semifinals, each year has presented more difficult challenges, and this time, new head coach Pere Romeu is taking everything into consideration when game planning against the Blues.
“I think it’s going to be a really tough tie. I think Chelsea are a team who feel comfortable attacking at pace. They feel comfortable attacking on the flanks with players who get past their marker and they get numbers in the box. They feel comfortable out of possession. They’re great at winning the ball back infield and hitting teams on the counter with Mayra [Ramírez] and others who are great at carrying the ball forward and who attack space well,” Romeu said.
“I think this means we’ll have a knockout that’ll feel long, a tie in which we’ll try and play well out of possession, to try and win the ball back and hit Chelsea on the counter, and when in possession we’ll try and attack quickly and try and get down the flanks quickly. I think it’ll be a tough and difficult tie.”
What Chelsea are saying
Chelsea are aware of their current record against Barcelona in high-stakes UWCL games. Manager Sonia Bompastor is no stranger to winning in the tournament, both as a former player and coach for Lyon. Chelsea are well-positioned to win a quadruple and will have big competition along the way. Champions League remains a long elusive title for the England squad and Bompastor has the wisdom to guide them through.
“Barcelona have a lot of experience, a lot of talent in the squad,” she said. “I was watching before our [quarter-final second leg against Man City], their game against Wolfsburg, it will be again a tough challenge. But in football, everything is possible. So I will bring all the confidence we need to go into those two games.”
Predicted lineups
Barcelona lineup: Cata Coll; Ona Batlle, Irene Paredes, Mapi Leon, Esmee Brugts; Aitana Bonmati, Patri Guijarro, Alexia Putellas; Carolie Graham Hansen, Salma Paralluelo, Ewa Pajor
Chelsea lineup: Hannah Hampton; Lucy Bronze, Nathalie Bjorn, Millie Bright, Sandy Baltimore; Kiera Walsh, Erin Cuthbert; Rytting Kaneryd, Wieke Kaptein, Aggie Beever-Jones; Mayra Ramirez
Americans to watch
There are multiple Americans among the U.S. women’s national team player pool in Chelsea’s roster. However, injuries will prevent them from having significant roles in the upcoming semifinal round. Defender Naomi Girma is still managing a calf strain, and Mia Fishel continues her build up her minutes from an ACL injury. Here’s who we think could make an appearance on Sunday.
Catarina Macario, Chelsea: The attacking midfielder has gradually built up her minutes after a long rehab process post-ACL injury. She played a full 90 minutes and recorded an assist against West Ham to close out March, and she earned a start and made a substitute appearance with the USWNT during the April international window. She also scored a goal against Brazil.
Prediction
The two sides have played mostly narrow first-leg semifinal matches in recent history, so don’t be surprised if this first game at Estadi Johan Cruyff is more of the same. Look for a midfield battle between former Barca teammates Walsh and Bonmati. Pick: Barcelona 1, Chelsea 1
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