Barcelona vs Paris – News and Probable Lineups

Barcelona will commence their title defence in the Women’s Champions League with a match against Paris Women at the Estadi Johan Cruyff on Wednesday.

The Blaugrana aim for a fifth European title, while Paris FC looks to secure a spot in the league phase for the second year in a row.

Match overview

Barcelona finds themselves in a well-known position as the current European champions after clinching their third UWCL trophy in four seasons during the final in Norway last May.

Although they defeated OL Lyonnes 4-0 to claim their fourth UWCL title, the match also marked the conclusion of an era, as it was Alexia Putellas’s and Mapi Leon’s last European appearance for Barcelona.

Since then, the duo has embarked on a new journey with London City Lionesses, while Ona Batlle and Salma Paralluelo have signed with Arsenal and OL Lyonnes, respectively.

These significant departures have not hindered Pere Romeu’s squad from kicking off their domestic campaign with four consecutive wins in Liga F, achieving a remarkable 19-2 aggregate scoreline.

Their most challenging encounter thus far occurred in a 4-2 victory against Atletico Madrid on matchday three, followed by a straightforward 6-0 triumph over Deportivo Alaves last Friday, placing them two points ahead of Real Madrid at the summit of the table.

Barcelona is expected to maintain their winning streak on Wednesday, particularly as they have emerged victorious in their last 10 home fixtures in the UWCL, scoring at least three goals in each of those wins.

Paris FC is poised to make their third appearance in the main draw within four seasons, having secured direct access to the league phase through a second-place finish in the Premiere Ligue last term.

After finishing second in the regular season, Paris FC overcame their city rivals Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-finals of the playoffs but ultimately succumbed to a hefty 5-0 defeat to perennial champions OL Lyonnes in the final.

They faced another difficult outing against the reigning French champions on matchday two of the new season, conceding five goals in the second half during a 7-1 defeat on the road.

Sandrine Soubeyrand’s team demonstrated commendable resilience by rebounding with a 2-0 victory in an away match against Strasbourg, marking two wins from their first three domestic season games.

Paris will encounter Barcelona and Arsenal in their opening two UWCL matches before returning to league competition at the start of next month, where they will treat any points gained against such formidable opponents as a bonus ahead of their last four league phase games against Hacken, Real Madrid, Koge, and Servette.

Wednesday’s meeting signifies Paris’ first European away match against Barcelona, although they did face the Blaugrana on home soil in last season’s league phase, suffering a 2-0 loss in a spirited effort from the Parisiens.

Team News

Barcelona is likely to be without the defensive pairing of Irene Paredes and Renee van Asten, who have been sidelined with muscle injuries for the past two games.

This could lead to the Blaugrana utilizing Martin Fernandez and Marta Torrejon, although there remains a possibility for Guijarro to drop back into the defense as was observed in the earlier win over Atletico this month.

Esmee Brugts, Kika Nazareth, and Claudia Pina are all anticipated to return to the starting lineup after being benched over the weekend.

On the visitors’ side, midfielder Daphne Corboz remains unavailable as she continues her recovery from a long-term knee injury.

Hillary Diaz could reintegrate into the defense after being a substitute for the recent league victory against Strasbourg.

There might also be an opportunity for Oceane Picard if Soubeyrand opts to include an additional player in midfield to challenge Barcelona’s midfield trio.

Barcelona Women probable starting XI:

Coll; Schertenleib, Fernandez, Torrejon, Brugts; Lopez, Guijarro, Nazareth; Graham, Pina, Pajor

Paris Women probable starting XI:

Chavas; N’Dongala, Diaz, Hocine, Baquerizo; Toloba, Le Moguedec, Picard, Korosec, Mateo; viens

Given Paris’ 7-1 defeat to Lyon earlier this month, it suggests that their clash with the European champions on Wednesday might be a challenging encounter.

While Barcelona may not achieve a scoreline as high as seven, it’s expected that they will put on a high-scoring performance, securing maximum points in the first matchday of the league phase.