The Prague Post - Barcelona face Wolfsburg as French rivals clash in Women's Champions League semis

EUR -
AED 4.339901
AFN 82.97291
ALL 97.977767
AMD 454.421545
ANG 2.114593
AOA 1083.514144
ARS 1423.268618
AUD 1.793979
AWG 2.126855
AZN 2.004379
BAM 1.956812
BBD 2.386134
BDT 145.035005
BGN 1.956116
BHD 0.445476
BIF 3520.220489
BMD 1.181586
BND 1.501677
BOB 8.165705
BRL 6.408094
BSD 1.181811
BTN 101.016241
BWP 15.631621
BYN 3.8675
BYR 23159.08677
BZD 2.373677
CAD 1.608292
CDF 3404.149244
CHF 0.932156
CLF 0.028694
CLP 1101.11779
CNY 8.465003
CNH 8.458006
COP 4829.591229
CRC 596.508486
CUC 1.181586
CUP 31.312031
CVE 110.322053
CZK 24.677416
DJF 210.442597
DKK 7.460452
DOP 70.266338
DZD 152.801294
EGP 58.443729
ERN 17.723791
ETB 162.823369
FJD 2.635823
FKP 0.861135
GBP 0.858871
GEL 3.213878
GGP 0.861135
GHS 12.230549
GIP 0.861135
GMD 84.475209
GNF 10244.29786
GTQ 9.0877
GYD 247.140489
HKD 9.27548
HNL 30.883972
HRK 7.534993
HTG 154.990153
HUF 399.159882
IDR 19146.125115
ILS 3.982583
IMP 0.861135
INR 101.075885
IQD 1548.100603
IRR 49774.312762
ISK 142.19213
JEP 0.861135
JMD 189.80816
JOD 0.83779
JPY 168.693269
KES 152.743498
KGS 103.329173
KHR 4741.150956
KMF 495.084288
KPW 1063.52653
KRW 1598.898531
KWD 0.360479
KYD 0.98478
KZT 613.507277
LAK 25476.558156
LBP 105880.235544
LKR 354.603384
LRD 236.935513
LSL 20.776244
LTL 3.488917
LVL 0.714729
LYD 6.373296
MAD 10.606485
MDL 19.841673
MGA 5152.337503
MKD 61.535471
MMK 2480.415302
MNT 4234.949916
MOP 9.555258
MRU 46.904257
MUR 52.994174
MVR 18.182035
MWK 2049.098999
MXN 22.071767
MYR 4.959707
MZN 75.574784
NAD 20.776244
NGN 1813.77009
NIO 43.492492
NOK 11.847055
NPR 161.625585
NZD 1.932891
OMR 0.454311
PAB 1.181736
PEN 4.186465
PGK 4.87352
PHP 66.555143
PKR 335.328316
PLN 4.244431
PYG 9426.875128
QAR 4.296822
RON 5.073672
RSD 117.140119
RUB 92.69703
RWF 1697.627646
SAR 4.431254
SBD 9.850794
SCR 17.072049
SDG 709.541629
SEK 11.15764
SGD 1.501561
SHP 0.928541
SLE 26.52695
SLL 24777.273209
SOS 675.306372
SRD 44.025308
STD 24456.445823
SVC 10.340348
SYP 15362.938479
SZL 20.768741
THB 38.279252
TJS 11.669689
TMT 4.147367
TND 3.439379
TOP 2.767394
TRY 47.095425
TTD 7.99817
TWD 34.474004
TZS 3098.23911
UAH 49.451874
UGX 4248.196964
USD 1.181586
UYU 47.214417
UZS 15002.758708
VES 127.674941
VND 30874.84374
VUV 141.232975
WST 3.241675
XAF 656.254728
XAG 0.032458
XAU 0.000353
XCD 3.193295
XDR 0.822602
XOF 656.296405
XPF 119.331742
YER 286.239065
ZAR 20.773571
ZMK 10635.68957
ZMW 28.2128
ZWL 380.470229
  • CMSC

    0.0900

    22.314

    +0.4%

  • CMSD

    0.0250

    22.285

    +0.11%

  • RBGPF

    0.0000

    69.04

    0%

  • SCS

    0.0400

    10.74

    +0.37%

  • RELX

    0.0300

    53

    +0.06%

  • RIO

    -0.1400

    59.33

    -0.24%

  • GSK

    0.1300

    41.45

    +0.31%

  • NGG

    0.2700

    71.48

    +0.38%

  • BP

    0.1750

    30.4

    +0.58%

  • BTI

    0.7150

    48.215

    +1.48%

  • BCC

    0.7900

    91.02

    +0.87%

  • JRI

    0.0200

    13.13

    +0.15%

  • VOD

    0.0100

    9.85

    +0.1%

  • BCE

    -0.0600

    22.445

    -0.27%

  • RYCEF

    0.1000

    12

    +0.83%

  • AZN

    -0.1200

    73.71

    -0.16%

Barcelona face Wolfsburg as French rivals clash in Women's Champions League semis
Barcelona face Wolfsburg as French rivals clash in Women's Champions League semis / Photo: Josep LAGO - AFP/File

Barcelona face Wolfsburg as French rivals clash in Women's Champions League semis

Holders Barcelona must see off seasoned campaigners Wolfsburg if they are to reach a second consecutive Women's Champions League final, where French giants Lyon or Paris Saint-Germain will lie in wait.

Text size:

Barcelona have replaced Lyon as the leading force in the European women's game with a squad led by Ballon d'Or winner Alexia Putellas crushing Chelsea 4-0 in last season's Champions League final.

This season they have won all 27 domestic league matches to retain their title, scoring 146 goals along the way.

It has been a similar story in Europe where they cruised through their group before brushing aside Spanish rivals Real Madrid in the quarter-finals, winning 8-3 on aggregate to set up the last-four tie against Wolfsburg, with the first leg at the Camp Nou on Friday.

While the Barcelona men's team goes through its toughest spell in two decades, Catalans have got right behind Putellas and her teammates to the extent that 91,553 attended the second leg of the Madrid tie at the Camp Nou.

That set a new record attendance for a women's match that could be broken once more against Wolfsburg on Friday.

"Filling the Camp Nou was really special and I hope we can fill it again," said Barcelona's Norwegian midfielder Caroline Graham Hansen, who used to play for Wolfsburg.

The German side won back-to-back Champions League titles in 2013 and 2014 and then lost three finals in five years to the all-conquering Lyon side.

This season they topped a difficult group containing both Juventus and Chelsea before ousting Arsenal in the quarter-finals to set up this tie with the holders in a packed stadium.

"It's going to be crazy," Wolfsburg's Alexandra Popp told German media. "We could be there when history is made."

Wolfsburg are hoping to leave Catalonia with a favourable result to take into the second leg at home on April 30 as they target a return to the final in Turin, Italy, next month.

- Hegerberg back firing -

Barcelona lost 4-0 to Lyon in their first Champions League final appearance in 2019 and there is a chance the clubs could clash again in this season's showpiece.

Lyon's run of five straight continental titles ended last season when their hegemony in the domestic league -- 14 consecutive French titles -- was also broken by PSG.

They are on course to reclaim the French crown this year, though, and they play host to PSG in the first leg of their semi-final on Sunday.

Lyon crushed PSG 6-1 at home in the league earlier this season and they have Norwegian former Ballon d'Or winner Ada Hegerberg back fit again and scoring goals after a long spell on the sidelines.

Hegerberg scored in the last round as Lyon ousted Juventus while PSG edged Bayern Munich.

Lyon need not only look to Hegerberg for inspiration in front of goal for PSG must also watch out for the in-form United States star, Catarina Macario.

Meanwhile, PSG have their own attacking weapon in Marie-Antoinette Katoto, the France striker who is the club's all-time leading scorer.

Sunday's first leg will be played at the Groupama Stadium, the 2019 Women's World Cup final venue which has a capacity of more than 59,000.

Lyon beat PSG 8-0 on aggregate in the Champions League semi-finals in 2016 but edged a one-off semi-final 1-0 in 2020.

Women's Champions League Fixtures

Semi-finals, first legs

Friday (1645 GMT)

Barcelona (ESP) v Wolfsburg (GER)

Sunday (1500 GMT)

Lyon (FRA) v Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)

P.Svatek--TPP