What to look out for in Women's Champions League quarter-finals

6h ago | Source: BBC

It is the first time a nation has ever had three teams in the quarter-finals of the Women's Champions League

Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City all feature in the Women's Champions League quarter-finals, which start this week.

Domestic rivals Chelsea and City meet in Manchester in their first leg, while Arsenal travel to face Real Madrid.

Chelsea's first-leg trip to City's Joie Stadium is the second of four consecutive meetings between the two teams in 13 days, having contested the League Cup final on Saturday and with a meeting in the Women's Super League coming up.

So what challenges lurk ahead for the three English sides? BBC Sport takes a look at who's involved and what to watch out for.

Chelsea

'It's about recovering and moving to the next game' - White on Chelsea's quadruple hopes

Given Emma Hayes' success during her 12-year spell as Chelsea manager, it was a lot to expect for new boss Sonia Bompastor to rival such achievements when she took over.

However, the transition has been seamless. After 28 games, the Frenchwoman has yet to taste defeat as Blues boss, winning 26 games and drawing just twice.

Chelsea's quadruple hopes are still alive after Saturday's 2-1 League Cup final triumph over Manchester City. A sixth successive WSL title is almost within reach, and they are in the semi-finals of the FA Cup.

The Women's Champions League is the only major trophy that Chelsea have not won, but Bompastor has plenty of European experience - winning the tournament twice as a player, while she guided Lyon to the trophy in 2022.

The team have Champions League winners Lucy Bronze and Keira Walsh in their ranks, with the latter arriving from Barcelona in January, while they also strengthened their backline with the world record signing of American Naomi Girma.

Manchester City

Nick Cushing is back at Manchester City, five years after leaving the club in 2020

Having pushed Chelsea all the way in the WSL title race last season, missing out only on goal difference, Manchester City have had a frustrating domestic campaign so far.

Before this four-game run against Chelsea, City made the bold move to sack manager Gareth Taylor and re-hire former boss Nick Cushing on an interim basis.

In the WSL, City are fourth and sit 12 points behind the Blues with just six league matches remaining.

Realistically, City's hopes of silverware this season rest on the Champions League and FA Cup, but on both fronts Chelsea could be the side that deny them.

Cushing led City to two Champions League semi-finals in his previous spell as manager. To make it a hat-trick, his side will have to upset Bompastor's Blues.

Arsenal

Arsenal have a perfect record in the Women's Champions League since Renee Slegers took charge of the Gunners in October 2024

Arsenal remain the only English team to have won the Women's Champions League.

However, that was back in 2007. They haven't made it to the final since.

Under Jonas Eidevall, the Gunners' group stage got off to a shaky start with a 5-2 defeat at Bayern Munich - the Swedish manager's penultimate game before he resigned.

But they have had more success since Renee Slegers took over, with Arsenal winning their remaining five group matches by an aggregate score of 15-4 to top Group C.

Slegers has transformed the north London team into a winning machine with 18 victories in her 22 games as manager.

Real Madrid are the only remaining side in the competition never to have reached a Champions League semi-final, so being paired with them could be seen as a favourable draw for Arsenal.

The Spanish side stand in Barcelona's shadow in Liga F, while Chelsea beat them in their two group encounters.

Can anyone beat Europe's elite?

Barcelona have won each of the last two Women's Champions League finals

It has been almost 10 years since a team other than Lyon or Barcelona lifted the Champions League trophy - Frankfurt taking the honours in 2015.

Barcelona are going for three in a row after retaining their title with a 2-0 win over Lyon in last year's final.

But, as Manchester City showed in the group stages and Liga F minnows Levante demonstrated last month, Barcelona can be beaten.

Lyon, on the other hand, might prove trickier. The eight-time Champions League winners have yet to lose this season, except for a penalty shootout loss to Reims in the Coupe de France.

Just as Bompastor has excelled since succeeding Hayes at Chelsea, so Joe Montemurro has been outstanding as Bompastor's Lyon replacement.

The French league leaders have won 21 of their 23 games this season, while they conceded just one goal in their six European group matches.

Road to the final

One English team is guaranteed a semi-final spot

The draw for the rest of the Women's Champions League took place on 7 February, with the route to the final now mapped out.

The winners of Wolfsburg v Barcelona will play the winners of Manchester City v Chelsea in the semi-final, with Real Madrid or Arsenal playing the winners of Bayern Munich v Lyon.