Power struggles, intriguing matchups in Women’s Champions League semis
BARCELONA: The Women’s Champions League semifinals kicking off Saturday have a bit of everything.
Two teams are trying to assert their continental dominance and the other two are fighting to be crowned European champion for the first time.
Defending champion Barcelona hosts Chelsea in their first-leg match on Saturday aternoon before eight-time champion Lyon takes on French rival Paris Saint-germain in the evening. The second legs are the following weekend.
Barcelona is going for its third title in four years, while Lyon is seeking its record-extending ninth. Lyon has “only” been to one final in the past three years. That’s great by most standards but off the pace from Lyon’s earlier dominance. It won five in a row from 2016-2020.
Should Lyon and Barcelona advance to the May 25 final in Bilbao, Spain, it would be a rematch of the 2022 decider, when Lyon won 3-1.
Chelsea and PSG have never won the Champions League or its predecessor, the UEFA Women’s Cup. In its only final appearance, Chelsea was routed 4-0 by Barcelona in 2021. PSG has been runner-up twice - in 2015 to Frankfurt and two years later to Lyon.
As manager, Emma Hayes has led Chelsea to more than a dozen major domestic titles, but the Champions League has eluded her. She’s got another shot before leaving London to take over as coach of the US women’s national team.
“The team wants to win for themselves, they want to win for the football club, they want to win for their families, they want to win because they’re winners. They’re sick to death of what they need to do for me, and that’s fair, it’s not about me, it’s about them,” Hayes said of Chelsea’s push for trophies in her final season.
Barcelona coach Jonatan Giráldez is also headed across the Atlantic ater this season, to become coach of the NWSL’S Washington Spirit. Here’s a closer look at the matches: Barcelona-chelsea
Two-time champion Barcelona has had the upper hand against the Blues, having beaten them in the 2021 final and last year’s semifinals. The home team on Saturday aternoon has the star power, too, with Ballon d’or winner Aitana Bonmati leading a potent atack that includes two-time Ballon d’or winner Alexia Putellas, Salma Paralluelo, Caroline Graham Hansen, and Fridolina Rolfö. It can be a nightmare for any defense.