Group A of the Women’s Champions League features three dangerous teams in Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid. The group produced some very interesting matches and included some very interesting stories.
Chelsea, with thirteen points from five games, is wreaking havoc in both the Women’s Super League and the Champions League. They are first in the table with 27 points in 10 games.
Chelsea lead the Super League in goals scored, which seems like an easy task with human standout Sam Kerr leading the Blues attack. They have not lost a game in the Champions League, they only drew with Real away from home.
PSG, with ten points, have not been much worse than their London counterparts. They lead the Women’s Division 1, one point ahead of reigning European champions Lyon. In the Champions League, they have looked strong. However, they lost 1-0 to Chelsea and drew with Real.
Real Madrid, already mathematically eliminated from the group stage with their five points, hasn’t been bad. However, their offense cost them crucial games. They have only scored four goals in five games in total and have lost some very winnable games. He has performed well in the F League, collecting 28 points in just eleven games.
The fourth team in the group, Albanian side Vllaznia, have a strong case for being the worst team in the group stage. They are the only team not to score so far in the Champions League, having conceded a whopping 23 goals in their time in the group stage. Vllaznia is undefeated at the Albanian Women’s National Championship, but that success has not carried over to the continental stage.
B Group
A dangerous Wolfsburg looking to avenge their Champions League semi-final knockout last year looks better than ever. He leads Group B with eleven points, followed by Roma with ten, St. Polten with four and Slavia Prague with two.
Wolfsburg leads the Frauen-Bundesliga, with 30 points in 10 games. They have good wins like their 2-1 win over Bayern and a 5-0 win over Frankfurt. They are dominant in Germany, but unstable in Europe. Although they lead their group, they have drawn with Slavia Prague, who live at the bottom, and with their fierce Italian rivals, Roma.
Rome is also doing quite well. They lead Serie A, with Juve trailing by three points. However, they have yet to unleash their dominant side in the group stage. At times, he has conceded a lot of goals, but he has also shown some of his offensive power. Roma have already secured automatic qualification but could have an early exit with their recent form.
Austrian champions St. Poiten launched a serious campaign this season, but no one really expected it to go well. St. Poiten’s only victory came from an injury time winner against Slavia Prague, and they drew again with the Czech team. Slavia Prague had two draws; one from St. Poiten and the other, surprisingly, from title contenders Wolfsburg.
Wolfsburg and Roma have already qualified for the quarterfinals. A win against St. Poiten on December 22 would give the Germans first place. Roma face a Slavia Prague side seeking their first Champions League win in 2022.
Group C
Unlike the other three groups, Group C is completely open. With Arsenal, defending champions Lyon and Juventus vying for two Champions League spots, the final matchday will be crucial to each team’s season.
Arsenal WFC, who fell just one point away from winning the Women’s Super League last season, have only lost once in this season’s edition. They look very strong this season, leading the league in goals allowed (5). However, they have found their match in the Champions League. They recently lost a game that could have given them an automatic bid to the knockout round, and Arsenal haven’t exuded the utter dominance they need to make a serious run to the final. Some of the best games of their season were their 5-1 win over Lyon and a 4-0 win over hated rivals Spurs.
Like the Gunners, Lyon are unusually weak this season. The reigning European champions fell heavily in their Champions League opener and have struggled to find their footing. They lost one game and drew one game in the French Women’s Division 1, taking second place midway through the season.
Juventus have not had their best season in 2022. After suffering two draws and one loss in the highly competitive Group C, they are also missing in Italy. In Serie A, which just turned professional six months ago, Juventus have drawn three games and lost one.
Despite placing first in the Swiss Women’s Super League last season, Zurich has flopped this season. They have only scored one goal in five Champions League games and failed to pick up a single point until the fifth day. In Switzerland, the team has lost two games in eight games, placing them in second place.
Zurich only plays out of pride for the last day on December 21, since they are mathematically eliminated. They play against Arsenal, who have already qualified for the round of 16. Juventus, who play away from home against Lyon, have to win to move on
Group D
Group D, made up of Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Benfica and Rosengard, has already been decided. Both Barca and Bayern have 12 points, while Benfica have six, Rosengard have none. Barça and Bayern have automatically secured qualification for the quarterfinals for matchday six.
Barca, without key players from last season like Jennifer Hermoso and Leila Ouahabi, are off to a splendid start to the 2022-2023 season. They have won all twelve F League games, giving them a huge eight-point lead. They have also established their dominance with big wins over Benfica and Rosengard. Their only loss of the season came against a much-improved Bayern side, and their slip seems like an isolated incident so far.
Bayern have also had a very good start to the season. They are second in the Frauen-Bundesliga, with only one game drawn and one game lost. They also advanced to the quarterfinals of the DFB-Pokal, making their mark with two big seven-goal wins against weaker teams.
Rosengard ended their dominant domestic season with a league title, but have been lacking at continental level. He has not won any game so far in the Champions League. Benfica, reigning champions of Portugal’s Liga BPI, have been unbeaten in their league so far, but have also been unsuccessful against the Group D powerhouse.
Bayern plays against Rosengard and Barça against Benfica on December 21. Bayern probably need a better result in their match than Barca due to the goal difference between them.
As it stands, Barça is ready to go through as group winner; not surprising, considering his near-perfect season in the 2021-22 season.
Photo Credit: IMAGO/Sports Press Photo
