FC Bayern Women finished second in their group to qualify for the UEFA Women’s Champions League knockout stage for the sixth time in a row. The highlight of the group campaign was without doubt the 3-1 win over Barcelona at the Allianz Arena.
Two English teams, one from Germany
The draw for the quarter-finals will be made at 13:00 CET on Friday, 10 February and there are only three teams Bayern can face, after Arsenal, Chelsea and Wolfsburg won the remaining groups. fcbayern.com takes a closer look at Die Frauen’s potential rivals…
Chelsea
Bayern came up just short against Chelsea in the 2020/21 semi-final despite a first-leg win in Munich.
Chelsea are through to the knockout stages with the most points of any team in this year’s Champions League. The Blues were comfortable group winners on the back of five victories and a draw with Real Madrid. Their two triumphs over Paris Saint-Germain were another statement. Bayern’s 2021 semi-final encounter with Chelsea will still be fresh in the memory as Die Frauen went out despite a 2-1 first-leg win. The pair also met in the round of 32 back in 2017 when away goals cost FCB a place in the next round. A chance for revenge could now arise in this year’s quarter-finals.
Arsenal
Former Bayern captain Melanie Leupolz up against Arsenal skipper Kim Little at the 2019 Emirates Cup.
Chelsea’s London rivals Arsenal were equally impressive in the group stage, finishing above eight-time record winners Lyon despite a defeat to the defending champions. However, Jonas Eidevall’s side were dealt serious blows when Beth Mead and Vivianne Miedema both tore their cruciate ligaments. The latter is one of two former FCB players in the Gunners’ squad alongside goalkeeper Manuela Zinsberger. Bayern won the only previous encounter with Arsenal 1-0 in a friendly in the 2019 Emirates Cup.
Wolfsburg
Klara Bühl after getting a goal back in the last Bundesliga game against Wolfsburg.
On paper, Wolfsburg had the easiest group in this year’s Champions League, and progress rarely looked in doubt for the Wolves despite draws with Roma and Slavia Prague. It could be both an advantage and disadvantage that FCB know their fellow Bundesliga club very well. Although Bayern have lost their last two league encounters with Wolfsburg, the thought of winning the first Champions League meeting between these German clubs will no doubt be an additional boost for the Munich women.
Attacking firepower
Either way, Bayern will have to contend with strong attacks in the quarter-finals. All three possible rivals scored 19 goals in the group stage.
Friday’s draw in Nyon won’t just determine the pairings for the last eight but also the semi-finals. Regardless of who Alexander Straus and his team get, they want to get through the quarter-finals, which are scheduled for back-to-back weeks at the end of March, and make it to the final four like the class of 2020/21. The target then will be the final in Eindhoven on 3 June.
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