The maiden edition of the Women’s Champions League‘s new format is entering its knockout phase. After a dramatic final round of the league phase, the playoffs are set. A place in the quarterfinals of the competition, where heavyweights like Barcelona, OL Lyonnes, Chelsea and Bayern Munich await, is the reward for the winner of each of the four two-legged ties.
Three of the four playoffs are repeats of group-stage games, adding an air of familiarity and drama to proceedings. As the business end of the season approaches, clubs and their star players will be keen to make a mark at the biggest club competition in women’s football.
What are the key tactical battles and where will each game be decided?
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Can Arsenal beat goalkeeper Lowiese Seynhaeve?
If Arsenal are to defend their Women’s Champions League crown, they will have to overcome plucky OH Leuven once again. The two clubs met in the final matchday of the group phase where the Gunners emerged victorious with a 3-0 win, finishing in fifth place. The debutants from Belgium played four games to qualify for the league phase, where they provided a string of upsets.
If Leuven could thank just one player for that achievement, it may be goalkeeper Lowiese Seynhaeve. She has been an immovable object between the sticks and the standout goalkeeper in this campaign so far. Her quick reflexes, hand-eye coordination and coverage between the goalposts helped the Belgian side qualify despite winning just one of their six games.
The 26-year-old goalkeeper put together an inspired run of performances during the league phase, providing damage control with her shot-stopping ability. She had the highest save percentage of any goalkeeper (82.5%) and made 10 or more saves in three of her six appearances.
She made a total of 14 saves Barcelona and managed to keep the scoreline down to 3-0 in a game where Barça recorded 43 shots in total. These heroics allowed Leuven to qualify despite a relatively tough draw.
OH Leuven goalkeeper Lowiese Seynhaeve vs. Barcelona (ESPN/TruMedia)
Renée Slegers’ Arsenal have a lot of attacking prowess in terms of pure talent, but they have proved wasteful in recent weeks. They can play through and around defences with ease and will surely manage to disrupt Leuven’s lines. But it is breaking Seynhaeve that will be key.
The goals scored by the Gunners in the group stage encounter between these two sides included a rebound and a deflection. Seynhaeve was equal to almost everything thrown at her otherwise, producing 10 saves with seven of them coming from inside the penalty box.
The Gunners remain heavy favourites, but they will have to overcome Seynhaeve between the sticks if they are to defend their European crown.
Can Paris FC hurt Madrid on set-pieces?
Real Madrid are set to cross paths against a familiar opponent in the UWCL playoffs. Madrid have previously struggled to unlock Parisian teams — they have just one win in eight such games, scoring only three goals.
Paris FC in particular has been their bogey team. Madrid are winless in their three meetings against Sandrine Soubeyrand’s side, and they had to rely on a late equaliser to snatch a point in their previous meeting.
However, the tides are turning with Madrid making a host of changes. Pau Quesada’s side have pushed big clubs into a corner with their aggressive press and exploited transition opportunities brilliantly. The explosive duo of Caroline Weir and Linda Caicedo is at the heart of everything they do in possession.
Real Madrid shots (left) and passing network (right) vs. Paris FC in November (ESPN/TruMedia)
However, dealing with crosses and set-pieces has been an Achilles heel for the Spanish side. In fact, all but one of their goals conceded in this edition have either come from crosses or set-pieces. The poor zonal marking system, lack of aerial dominance and lapses of concentration have been a hindrance in all the big games so far for Madrid.
Arsenal exploited this weakness to their advantage in their recent meeting to stage a comeback. Looping crosses into the box, while housing potent attacking threats in the area, often causes unrest in their backline, leading to chaotic situations.
A battle between young and old
Wolfsburg against Juventus is the only “new” matchup in the knockout rounds of the competition. The German giants will have to overcome a tricky Juventus side whose performance raised eyebrows during the league phase. Juventus and Wolfsburg are at different ends of a squad-building boat. The clubs finished eighth and ninth respectively in the league phase table, had a mixed bag of performances and scored the same number of goals (13).
The difference lies in their squad structure and reliance on veteran stars.
Juventus have the highest average squad age in the competition right now (28.4). Eight of Juventus’ 13 goals have been scored or assisted by players over 30 years of age. The only three players to score multiple goals for them during the group stage are all above 30. For the German giants, this figure stands at three of their 13 total goals. The 34-year-old Alexandra Popp and 35-year-old Svenja Huth are still key cogs. However, Wolfsburg have evolved and replaced some of their older parts with newer ones.
This reliance on the old guard and inconsistency of a developing player has made these sides slightly unpredictable in terms of their performances.
Juventus can score three against OL Lyonnes in the first half and fail to find the back of the net against United. Meanwhile, Wolfsburg can put four past PSG and five past United but then fail to score against a 10-player Real Madrid.
Juventus squad’s age demographic (ESPN/Fbref)
While experience is a vital part of knockout competitions, reliance on experienced players is unsustainable over the course of a season. On the other hand, teething issues are part of the package when trying to establish new faces while phasing out older stars.
The last time these two sides met was during the league phase of the 2021-22 season. Juventus remained unbeaten across those two meetings, scoring four times.
Juventus bring the familiar threat from that time, while Wolfsburg have a new developing core.
Can Man United stop midfielder Fiamma Benitez?
Manchester United have qualified to the knockout phase in their debut campaign. They finished sixth in the table, level on points with Arsenal and just one point behind fourth-placed Bayern Munich. United were the third-lowest scoring side to qualify for the playoffs, with only Paris FC (six) and OH Leuven (five) scoring fewer goals.
Defensive solidity has been the foundation of Marc Skinner’s side. They conceded just one goal in their four wins in the UWCL and have the joint-most clean sheets in the competition (three). In fact, they also kept a clean sheet against Atleti in the group phases despite defending with 10 players for the entire second half.
Fiamma Benítez’s shots in this season’s Women’s Champions League (ESPN/TruMedia)
United’s biggest task will be to stop Atlético Madrid‘s Fiamma Benítez. The young Spaniard is at the heart of Atleti’s chance creation and has the second most goal contributions of any player in the campaign behind Klara Bühl (nine). She is directly involved in over 50% of the goals scored by Atleti in the competition (7/13). In fact, she has produced a goal contribution in four of the six league phase games.
With long-range shots and deadly set-pieces in her repertoire, Benítez can hurt a retreating backline. Her shots are laced with venom and are often placed well out of reach of the goalkeeper, while her corners and set-pieces are delivered with a certain panache. She has the defensive steel, adds goals from midfield and has the quality to influence the game from different phases of play, making her an invaluable asset.
Atletico will be without their dazzling forward, Luany, due to suspension. This will make 21-year-old Benítez an even more important cog in Atleti’s attacking unit. For United, limiting the Spaniard’s involvement will be key in winning this tie.
