Barcelona will begin its defence of the UEFA Women’s Champions League on Wednesday with the rest of Europe trying to work out how to stop the Catalans winning the title for the third year running.
Led by the brilliant Aitana Bonmati, as well as Alexia Putellas — her predecessor as winner of the Women’s Ballon d’Or — Barcelona retained the crown in May by beating Lyon 2-0 in Bilbao.
A year after defeating Wolfsburg in Eindhoven, Barcelona eased to victory against the French giants who have won a record eight Champions Leagues.
Formerly Europe’s dominant force, Lyon outclassed Barcelona in the 2019 final and was victorious when the teams clashed in 2022.
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Yet Barcelona has now won three of the last four editions of the competition, and has appeared in five of the last six finals.
The question is whether anything can stop lifting the trophy again in Lisbon.
There have been changes in Catalonia, however, with coach Jonatan Giraldez leaving to take charge of Washington Spirit in the NWSL.
His replacement is Pere Romeu, an internal appointment whose Champions League bow comes away to Manchester City.
“Pere Romeu gives us the continuity necessary to give the project stability,” sporting director Marc Vives told the club’s streaming platform, Barca One.
Barcelona has added prolific Polish striker Ewa Pajor, who was top-scorer in Germany last season for Wolfsburg.
England right-back Lucy Bronze has left for Chelsea, while Spain World Cup-winning forward Mariona Caldentey has signed for Arsenal.
Crucially, Bonmati and Putellas both agreed contract extensions.
“It is key that they’re staying. Not only in terms of football, as they are two players who have won the Ballon d’Or, but because they create Barca’s identity,” Vives said.
Trio of English contenders
The main challenge to Barcelona could come from England, the only country with three clubs in the 16-team group phase.
Domestic champions Chelsea is joined by City and Arsenal, who both came through the qualifying rounds.
Chelsea is the only English finalists in the last 17 years. It was torn apart by Barcelona in 2021.
It has won the English Women’s Super League in the last five years, but long-serving coach Emma Hayes left after last season to take the United States job.
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Her replacement is Sonia Bompastor, the former French international who led Lyon to Champions League glory in 2022.
Chelsea, with Bronze, Sam Kerr and Lauren James, should be too strong for Real Madrid, Dutch champions Twente and Celtic in Group B.
City, who has added prolific Dutch striker Vivianne Miedema, could give Barcelona a tough test but both sides will expect to advance from a group also containing Austria’s St Poelten and Sweden’s Hammarby.
“Everything that has been done so far, and to have won Champions Leagues, has a lot of merit. But now another reality begins,” said Barca coach Romeu of the draw.
Arsenal has a tough assignment in Group C alongside German champions Bayern Munich and Juventus.
Gunners coach Jonas Eidevall has taken aim at WSL scheduling, saying forcing them to play this Sunday before going to Bayern on Wednesday was “amateurish” and could hinder its European prospects.
“Do the league want English teams to be successful at European level? I would hope the answer to that would be ‘yes’, but the actions show differently. It shows that this is not one of their priorities,” Eidevall told reporters.
Lyon, the perennial French champions, has appointed Joe Montemurro, the Australian former Arsenal and Juventus coach, to replace Bompastor.
It still has former Ballon d’Or winner Ada Hegerberg and USA midfield star Lindsey Horan, while Malawian striker Tabitha Chawinga is prolific.
Lyon is in a group with Wolfsburg, another traditional powerhouse, as well as Italian champions Roma and Galatasaray.
This will be the last season of the competition in its current format, before UEFA introduces a single 18-team league stage from next year.
That format will be similar to the new-look men’s Champions League, while UEFA will introduce a second women’s club competition from 2025.
Content Source: sportstar.thehindu.com