Bayern Munich v Paris Saint-Germain
The reigning German and French champions have met once in the Champions League with Paris Saint-Germain securing a 4-1 aggregate win, after a 1-0 first‑leg defeat, in the last eight of the 2016‑17 competition. Both teams look very different today. PSG were eliminated by Barcelona in the semi-finals last season, having beaten Lyon 2-1 away after a 1-0 home defeat to progress on away goals. They also got the better of the seven-times Champions League winners domestically, beating them to the title and ending Lyon’s 14-year dominance of the league. PSG got here by topping Group B without conceding while scoring 25 times in six games., with six goals coming from the Canada forward Jordyn Huitema. Bayern returned to the summit of the Frauen Bundesliga last season after losing out to Wolfsburg for four consecutive seasons. They, too, reached the semi-finals last season but bowed out with a 4-1 defeat by Chelsea at Kingsmeadow after a 2-1 home win. This time they finished runners up in Group D behind Lyon after a surprise 0-0 draw with Benfica in their opening game and a 2-1 defeat at Lyon.
Predicted winner PSG
Juventus v Lyon
Juventus’s reward for reaching a first quarter-final is a tie with the competition’s most decorated side. The Italian champions came through the “group of death” behind Wolfsburg and at the expense of last season’s runners-up, Chelsea. An impressive display to take a point at Kingsmeadow, keeping Chelsea at bay when Emma Hayes’s team had not gone a game without scoring, was a highlight. The striker Cristiana Girelli’s four goals constituted a third of their tally. Under the former Arsenal manager Joe Montemurro, Juventus have continued their growth but getting past Lyon would be a huge statement. The French club have a point to prove, having gone out to PSG last season after five back‑to‑back titles. Lyon have a new manager – their former player Sonia Bompastor – and have their star striker, Ada Hegerberg, back after a lengthy spell out with an ACL injury and some setbacks. The 26-year-old Norwegian holds the record for most Women’s Champions League goals scored with 56, including three in this campaign. The US forward Catarina Macario also scored three of Lyon’s 19 group‑stage goals.
Predicted winner Lyon
Arsenal v Wolfsburg
Arsenal, England’s only team to have lifted a European title, in a historic quadruple-winning season in 2007, have a tough task against Wolfsburg. There are a couple of familiar faces in the German team’s squad, with the Dutch pair Dominique Janssen and Jill Roord having spent time at Arsenal, the latter leaving last summer. Wolfsburg reached the 2013 final with a 4-1 aggregate win against Arsenal before going on to win the competition. This season they topped Group A and knocked out Chelsea in the process with a 4-0 home win after a 3-3 draw at Kingsmeadow. Third in the Frauen Bundesliga, with a game in hand over second-placed Hoffenheim, Wolfsburg have the Champions League’s top scorer this season, Tabea Waßmuth getting eight goals in the group stage. Arsenal stuttered into the knockout phase with a 4-1 defeat against Hoffenheim. Having won three and lost three of their group fixtures, Arsenal have the worst record of the qualified teams and an 8-1 aggregate defeat against the holders, Barcelona, showed Jonas Eidevall’s side are far from being able to compete with Europe’s very best.
Predicted winner Wolfsburg
Real Madrid v Barcelona
The women’s el clásico, elevated to the European stage for the first time, is a much less developed rivalry than in the men’s game. Barcelona have won all three of the clubs’ meetings since Real rebranded the independent side Tacón in 2020, having taken charge of the team the preceding year. The Primera División champions, Barça have scored 24 goals and conceded only one in the group, in their 4-1 home win against Arsenal, with the Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas the team’s top scorer with five. Barcelona are top of the Spanish league with 14 wins from 14, earning an 11-point lead over second-placed Real Sociedad, and have scored 79 league goals, conceding four. Real are struggling to replicate the form that helped them to finish second last season. They are eighth, 22 points behind their quarter-final opponents, and have six wins from 14 games. Real need a miracle to reach the semi‑finals in their debut Champions League season at the expense of a consistently rampant Barcelona. The Catalan club will be surely eyeing their route to the final, with Arsenal or Wolfsburg, who beat them in a one-off game during the pandemic to reach the 2019-20 final, waiting for the winners of this tie.
Predicted winner Barcelona