by The UEFA Women’s Champions League group stage will kick-start tonight with sixteen teams, including four returning champions, two debutants and plenty of records to be set. A look at the groups sets the foundation for a few things you should be keeping in mind for tonight’s first kick-offs and as this stage of the competition unfolds.
Group A
The first group throws former champions Lyon and Wolfsburg, against Italian side Roma and newcomers, Galatasaray. Lyon will go into the competition under the leadership of former Arsenal and Juventus coach Joe Montemurro, after Sonia Bompastor departed for Chelsea in the summer.
The French giants will have an added target this season: to stop Barcelona from equalling their records of being the only team to win the competition in three consecutive seasons and also the only ones to make five consecutive finals.
Lyon and Wolfsburg have a long rivalry, having met in four finals, of which Lyon won three, with Wolfsburg’s win coming in 2013. The French champions also eliminated Wolfsburg in the quarter-finals of 2016/17 and 2018/19 season.
The German side will go into the competition having lost key players in Ewa Pajor (Barcelona), Lena Oberdorf (Bayern Munich) and Dominique Janssen (Manchester United), but having recruited Lineth Beerensteyn and Justine Kielland.
Italian champions Roma return and have not been dealt a kind hand once more, having also been thrusted into the dubbed ‘Group of Death’ last year with Ajax, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Bayern Munich last year. Ajax and PSG progressed on the final matchday in which all four teams could make it to the knockout stages. It will be the third time for Roma in the competition and they will be hoping to have a showing similar to their debut year in which they reached the quarter-final stage.
Joining them will be Turkish side Galatasaray, who make their debut in the competition and will know that they have a tough road ahead of them. However, they’ve already made a dream start to get to the group stage in their first ever appearance in the European competition, having eliminated Racing Union, and BIIK, before dispatching Slavia Prague by a 4-3 aggregate following extra-time.
Tonight will present the first ties with Lyon facing Galatasaray in a David & Goliath encounter starting at 18:45 CET. Meanwhile, Roma and Wolfsburg will renew their battle at 18:45, having already met in Roma’s debut season (2022/23) with Wolfsburg winning at home and drawing in Italy.
Group B
Chelsea return with the dream of becoming the second English side to lift the European trophy once more, having been thwarted at the semi-final stage last season. They will face the familiar test of Real Madrid at group stage, with the two sides having met at this stage of the competition for the past three seasons. The Blues have had the upper hand in the past two seasons, having won both encounters at home and drew away.
However, Chelsea will go into the competition under new leadership with Sonia Bompastor replacing the long-standing Emma Hayes. Bompastor is the only person to have ever lifted the title as a player and coach, and the Blues will also rely on the added experience of Lucy Bronze this season.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid will be hoping for a better showing this season, having bowed out at group stage last year. The Los Blancos had a best-finish of quarter-final stage in the 2021/22 season.
Joining the seasoned duo will be the Dutch champions Twente who make their maiden appearance in this stage under the current format after four attempts. They will be hoping to at least match Ajax’s run last season, where they reached the quarter-final stage.
Finally, Celtic will be another side making the debut in this stage of the competition and being the first Scottish team to make it under this format.
The first matchday will make for an interesting watch as the seasoned sides of Chelsea and Real Madrid face each other, while newcomers Celtic and Twente battle it out among themselves. The two matches will be played tonight, beginning at 21:00.
Group C
Arsenal return to the group stage after a year blip, with the side exiting at qualifying stage last year after losing a penalty shootout against Paris FC. The Gunners are the only English side to have lifted the trophy and just one of four sides competing this year to do so. They will be pitted against Bayern Munich, Juventus and debutants Valerenga.
Former semi-finalists Bayern Munich are familiar with Arsenal, with the two sides having met in the quarter-finals of 2022/23, with the Londoners having come back with a 2-0 victory at home after having lost the away leg by 1-0. They had a similar trajectory against Juventus, whom they met in the group stage in the same season, drawing 1-1 in Italy, but winning the home encounter by 1-0.
Bayern Munich will be hoping for a return to the knockout stages having been pitted in the ‘Group of Death’ last season and eliminated by PSG at home on the final matchday. On the other hand, Juventus made it into the group stages after eliminating PSG this season, becoming the first side to knock PSG out before the quarter-final stage since Tyreso in 2013/14. The Italian side are under new tutelage of Massimilano Canzi, with Joe Montemurro having departed to Lyon.
Finally, Norwegian champions Valerenga eliminated RSC Anderlecht in qualifying to debut at this stage of the competition. They will go into it with the determination of having the dream run that Norwegian compatriots SK Brann delivered last season. The latter became the first Norwegian side to make it to the quarter-finals last year.
The teams will play their first matches on Wednesday, with Bayern Munich welcoming Arsenal at 18:45, before Valerenga make their home debut against Juventus at 21:00.
Group D
The final group tosses the reigning champions Barcelona against Manchester City, St Polten and debutants Hammarby.
Barcelona go into it with sights set on equalling Lyon’s records of winning the competition for three consecutive seasons and making five straight finals. The side have bolstered with the recruitment of Portuguese star Kika Nazareth, as well as Ewa Pajor and Ellie Roebuck.
Meanwhile, Manchester City will make the group stage debut under the current format, but made the semi-finals twice in the 2016/17 and 2017/18 seasons. The side currently sit top of the Women’s Super League in England and will be hoping to carry the form into the European competition.
Austria’s St. Polten return to the group stages for the fourth time in five seasons, making them seasoned in this stage of the competition but hoping to go further despite the odds.
Finally, Swedish side Hammarby continue to make headlines for all the right reasons and will be a great sight to see in the competition. The team won the Swedish title for the first time in thirty-eight years last season, before making history in the qualifying stage by becoming the first team to ever overturn a initial loss in the qualification matches of the UEFA Women’s Champions League.
They lost the initial home leg against Benfica by 1-2 in front of a record crowd of 12,062 attendees for a qualifying match. However, the Swedish champions won the away leg by 2-0 in Lisbon, courtesy of a brace by signing Cathinka Tandberg to make it to this stage.
The teams will take to the pitch on Wednesday with Hammarby debuting in front of what one expects to be a bouncing home crowd against St Polten at 18:45.
Manchester City will welcome Barcelona at 21:00 with several inner battles as Barcelona’s Keira Walsh and Ellie Roebuck face their former team, as will Manchester City’s Laia Alexandri and Leila Ouahabi. The star-studded matchup will also feature Vivianne Miedema who will also be making her return to the competition, this time in the sky-blue shirt.
All matches will be available for free live-streaming on the DAZN Youtube channel or DAZN. Alternative options may be found here.
Lead Images: UEFA via X.
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