The UEFA Women’s Champions League group stage kicks off on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Below we bring you a preview of all the action, including two big matches between English and Spanish clubs and the showdown between the competition’s eight-time champions and a club that has entered the group stage for the first time.
The groups
Group A: Lyon (FRA), Wolfsburg (GER), Roma (ITA), Galatasaray (TUR)
Group B: Chelsea (ENG), Real Madrid (ESP), Twente (NED), Celtic (SCO)
Group C: Bayern Munich (GER), Arsenal (ENG), Juventus (ITA), Vålerenga (NOR)
Group D: Barcelona (ESP, vigente campeón), Manchester City (ENG), St. Pölten (AUT), Hammarby (SWE)
Tuesday’s games
Group A
Lyon – Galatasaray (18:45)
Few clubs, if any, are more established in this competition than Lyon, who reached their eleventh final last season and, despite the defeat against Barcelona, still have at least twice as many titles as the rest of the teams, with a total of eight. Galatasaray, on the other hand, is making its debut in the competition and had a spectacular qualifying round, eliminating former quarter-finalists Slavia Praha to become the first Turkish club to reach the group stage.
Since last season, Lyon has lost its coach, Sonia Bompastor, who has left for Chelsea. Joe Montemurro, former Arsenal and Juventus manager, has taken charge of the team. Delphine Cascarino and Griedge Mbock Bathy, veterans of many past successes, have left, but Tabitha Chawinga (who almost helped Paris Saint-Germain beat Lyon last season), Sofía Huerta and Sofie Svava are three big arrivals summer to reinforce the experienced OL squad.
Galatasaray could not have started their journey in Europe’s top competition on a worse foot, but their August signings, such as Hapsatou Malado Diallo and Andrea Stašková, have proven to be very valuable additions in the qualifying phase, and have joined the team that Last season he won his first Turkish title in only his third campaign.
Roma – Wolfsburg (18:45)
In their debut two years ago, Roma found themselves in a group with Wolfsburg and comfortably moved into second place behind the German club after drawing at home and losing away. With Lyon also in their group this time, the meetings between Roma and Wolfsburg will probably have more at stake than knowing which of the two qualifies for the quarterfinals, since the Italian team was already eliminated last year from a very complicated group, behind Paris Saint-Germain, Ajax and Bayern, with only five points difference between the four clubs after a heart-stopping final day.
After comfortably retaining the Serie A title last season, Roma had a rough start in 2024/25, but now they have hit the nail on the head, as Servette FCCF confirmed in round 2 of this competition, with an overall result 10-3 final. Wolfsburg, however, thrashed Fiorentina 12-0 in both games in the same round, including a hat-trick away from Alex Popp, just two games away from becoming the second player to reach 100 matches in the competition after Wendie Renard. Ewa Pajor, Lena Oberdorf and Dominique Janssen left Wolfsburg in the summer, but Lineth Beerensteyn and Justine Kielland are among those arriving.
Group B
Chelsea – Real Madrid (21:00)
For the third year in a row, these two teams are in the same group, which may bode better for Chelsea, considering that on both occasions they won the home game and came first in the group, with Madrid eliminated in third place. . Chelsea, after the departure of the veteran Emma Hayes, is now coached by Sonia Bompastor and has started on the right foot, with the high-level signing of Lucy Bronze, who begins her attempt to win this title with a third club after Lyon and Barcelona, the team that narrowly defeated the ‘Blues’ in the last two semifinals, as well as in the 2021 final.
Madrid overcame a combative Sporting CP to qualify, aiming to emulate their quarterfinal debut in 2021/22. Their squad, made up of several winners of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, was joined in the summer by players such as Melanie Leupolz, from Chelsea, and it was the German midfielder who scored the last-gasp winning goal in the victory away against Sporting, in addition to assisting Athenea del Castillo’s first goal.
Chelsea – Real Madrid 2-1
Celtic – Twente (21:00)
Chelsea and Madrid have always been present in the four seasons of the group stage, but Celtic and Twente are newcomers; In fact, the Scottish team has never been to the round of 16 under any format. Celtic will host the Dutch champions at their new home, Douglas Park, in Hamilton, and next month they will play Chelsea at Celtic Park.
Twente reached the old round of 16 three times, and while last season Ajax surpassed the group stage and reached the quarterfinals, the Enschede club beat the Amsterdam team to retain the Eredivisie title. Although several key players left in the summer, including Wieke Kaptein for Chelsea, their results in the Champions League qualifiers suggest that Twente wisely recruited talents such as Nikee van Dijk, who has so far maintained the goalscoring streak shown in the last two seasons in Belgian Leuven.
Wednesday’s matches
Group C
Bayern – Arsenal (18:45)
Two seasons ago, these teams met in a thrilling quarter-final in which Bayern won 1-0 at home, but Arsenal turned the tables in London with a 2-0 victory. Last season, the ‘Gunners’ were left out of the group stage, and Bayern did not advance to the quarterfinals after conceding a draw in the 88th minute of matchday six at home against Paris Saint-Germain that made them go from first to third place in your group.
Ajax and Roma were also in Group C last season, and Bayern are there again, in a group that looks no less complicated. The anterior cruciate ligament injury suffered by star signing Lena Oberdorf in July has temporarily deprived the German champions of a key talent, but Bayern will once again aim for their first European final, and Arsenal are not an unknown rival. for players of the caliber of Pernille Harder and Georgia Stanway.
Former Bayern striker Vivianne Miedema has left Arsenal for Manchester City, but the arrival of Mariona Caldentey from Barcelona, along with Rosa Kafaji and Dutch goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar, has further strengthened the ‘Gunners’ strong squad. ‘. Last season’s loss in the qualifying phase was not repeated, despite having to overcome a deficit in the first leg against Kafaji’s former club, Häcken, by a resounding 4-0.
Vålerenga – Juventus (21:00)
Vålerenga had never been among the top 16 under any format, but beat Anderlecht to make their debut in the group stage. Brann were the first Norwegian team to reach the group stage last season and reached the quarter-finals, but were dethroned as national champions in 2023 by Vålerenga, who are on track to retain the title.
Juventus missed the group stage last season and, domestically, have been overshadowed of late by Roma, but they have made a good start under their new coach, Massimiliano Canzi, eliminating in round 2 the Paris Saint-Germain, semi-finalist in 2023/24, and winning at home and away.
Group D
Hammarby – St. Pölten (18:45)
About ten months passed from when Hammarby won its first Damallsvenskan title in a dramatic final day, beating Häcken, the eventual quarter-finalists of the Women’s Champions League, until the Stockholm team made its European debut. Hammarby faced another of the eight finalists of the 2023/24 edition, Benfica, and despite losing at home 1-2 in front of 12,062 spectators, a record for the qualifying phase, achieved a memorable 0-0 victory. 2 in Lisbon, achieved in added time by Cathinka Tandberg, recent signing from Linköping.
Since being promoted back to the Damallsvenskan in 2021, Hammarby has been characterized by its huge fans, as seen against Benfica, and will hope to get off to a good start in front of its home crowd against St. Pölten. However, the Austrian champions are in the group stage for the third consecutive season and will want to show off their experience considering the two teams still left in this group.
Barcelona’s road to glory: see all the goals
Man City – Barcelona (21:00)
Those other two Group D teams last met in the 2020/21 quarter-finals, when Barcelona won 4-2 on aggregate on their way to their first title, but City prevailed 2-2. 1 in the second leg at home, the only European defeat for the Catalans that season. City, twice semi-finalists in the past, now find themselves in the group stage for the first time, after suffering two qualifying defeats at the hands of Real Madrid; Their last five European eliminations have been against Spanish clubs.
City, however, were only unable to dethrone Chelsea in England on goal difference last season, easily beating 2023/24 group stage hopefuls Paris FC by an aggregate 8- 0. Among their scorers is their new signing, Vivianne Miedema, in a team that includes former Barcelona players Leila Ouahabi and Laia Aleixandri.
But Barcelona, which aspires to become the second team to win three consecutive titles or reach a fifth consecutive final, does not lack stars, such as former City players Keira Walsh and Ellie Roebuck. The goalkeeper is joined by other star arrivals of the summer, such as Kika Nazareth and Ewa Pajor, who has already rekindled her chemistry with her former Wolfsburg teammate Caroline Graham Hansen.
When are the rest of the Women’s Champions League group stage matches played?
Day 2: October 16/17
Day 3: November 12/13
Day 4: November 20/21
Day 5: November 11/12
Day 6: November 17/18
