FC Bayern Women want to ‘use the energy from the stands’ in Champions League semi-final first leg against Barcelona

The newly crowned champions of Germany and Spain meet at the Allianz Arena as FC Bayern Women host Barcelona in the first leg of their UEFA Women’s Champions League semi-final (tickets still available here). Having successfully defended their Bundesliga title during the week, Bayern now turn their attentions to the three-time Champions League winners on Saturday (kick-off: 18:15 CEST). Here’s all you need to know ahead of the big game in our preview.

Latest news from Bayern

Bayern have their first title of 2025/26 in the bag and are also through to the final of the DFB Cup as they look to retain that trophy in Cologne in May. Wednesday’s 3-2 win away at Union Berlin saw the Munich Frauen crowned champions of Germany for an eighth time and fourth year in a row. Edna Imade, Barbara Dunst and Giulia Gwinn netted at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei to wrap up the title defence with four games to spare.

Focus now turns to Europe and making history there. Two wins over Manchester United in the quarter-finals saw Bayern through to the last four of the Champions League for the first time since 2021. Victories in the league phase against the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus and holders Arsenal have showed that the Munich women can more than compete on the continent’s biggest stage.

It’s the third time Bayern have reached the semi-finals of the Champions League, but that’s the furthest they’ve ever got. A 2-0 aggregate loss to Barcelona in 2018/19 and 5-3 defeat to Chelsea in 2020/21, despite winning the first leg at home 2-1, mean that a European final has remained elusive.

🗯️ We spoke with Sarah Zadrazil ahead of hosting Barcelona at the Allianz Arena:

Opponent: Barcelona

The Catalans have showed once again this season that they are the best team in Spain. They also retained their league title on Wednesday, beating city rivals Espanyol 4-1. Pere Romeu’s side have won 25 of their 26 Liga F fixtures in 2025/26, scoring 116 goals and conceding only seven.

In Europe, Barcelona are still unbeaten this season, winning seven and drawing one of their eight games so far, including victories over Bayern, Roma, Benfica and Paris FC. They have long been among the best teams at continental level. This is their ninth season in the semi-finals of the Champions League (same as Arsenal) – only record winners Lyon have got here more times (15).

🔎 Get the full lowdown on Barcelona here:

Team news

Head coach José Barcala remains without Sarah Zadrazil and Lena Oberdorf as they recover from their cruciate ligament injuries. Jovana Damnjanović (workload) is back in individual training but not yet available. The same applies for Alara Şehitler, who has been training with the team again this week after her partial ACL tear.

Pre-match quotes

José Barcala: “We respect Barcelona, but what happened in the past is in the past. We’re not the same team as in October. We can only influence how we play. We want to show what we can do. We know how good Barcelona are after turnovers, especially in counter-pressing. If we can get through those situations, we can get our players into the final third. But this opponent will also force us to defend for long periods. The key thing will be that we perform as a tight-knit team and remain clear in our thinking.”

Klara Bühl: “We know it’ll be a great game and we’re excited to be playing at the Allianz Arena, the atmosphere and our fans. We love this stage. We always feel the energy from the stands and want that to be a factor we can use. We learned a lot from the meeting in October. We analysed it in detail and want to show we’ve learned from it by getting stuck into duels, being there from the start and taking every chance. We’ve got great quality in the squad, but we need 100 percent performance and passion at all times if we’re to take a step towards the final with this club and our fans.”

✨ Get your tickets for the first leg at the Allianz Arena here!

🏟️ Take a look back at the women’s previous games at the Allianz Arena: