It was a beautiful encounter in the UWCL last Saturday as Barcelona defeated Chelsea by a single goal. The victory over the English side sets up what promises to be an enthralling affair in the second leg. Both sides go head to head again for the right to play in the final in Eindhoven on Thursday, April 27.
The Spanish league leaders will be hosting the English side in the return fixture of their first-leg semi-final clash. After edging out by a lone goal at Stamford Bridge, Barcelona would be looking to seal a third consecutive UEFA Women’s Champions League final appearance in front of their home fans.
The Blaugrana remain undefeated at home in all competitions this season and would be looking to extend that record when they host Chelsea at the Spotify Camp Nou.
Both teams have had a magnificent run in the UWCL this season. However, this is a knockout stage, it’s time to go big or go home. Barcelona would be looking to kill the game and seal their victory. And Chelsea, after their impressive showing in the first leg would be looking to hurt Barcelona and put the ghost of Gutenberg behind them.
Injuries
Barcelona are still without the services of their captain Alexia Putellas due to an injury (knee)
Possible Lineup
Starting Lineup: Panos, Mapi, Paredes, Rolfo, Bronze, Walsh, Patri, Aitana, Mariona, Oshoala, Graham
Subs: Font, Jana, Codina, Torrejon, Rabano, Lopez, Engen, Paralluelo, Geyse, Crnogorcevic
Prediction
An important match that promises to be a fascinating watch. We predict a 4-0 victory in favor of Barcelona.
Official Squad List: FC Barcelona Femeni vs Chelsea FC Women
FC Barcelona Femeni will be aspiring to claim a spot in Eindhoven for the final of the UEFA Women’s Champions League when they face Chelsea FC women tomorrow in the second leg of their UWCL semi-final knockout stage.
The first leg played at Stamford Bridge five days ago ended in an equally contested 0-1 scoreline in favor of the Blaugrana, making it still an openly available spot for any team to grab on Thursday and leaving all to play for at the Spotify Camp Nou.
Barcelona’s right back, Lucy Bronze will be out of the match after it was announced by the club and on her personal Instagram account that the English international has undergone a successful arthroscopy surgery on her right knee. She picked up an injury in the last game against Chelsea, and her availability for the upcoming games will be based on her recovery, according to the club’s Twitter post.
Ahead of the game, FCB Femeni has released the official squad list that will be available for the match against Chelsea on their official social media platforms.
After traveling with the team to London last week as a supporter, Alexia Putellas is back in the matchday squad after being sidelined for a long spell since the ACL injury she had in July 2022 during international duty.
Except for Lucy Bronze, who just underwent surgery. FC Barcelona Femeni has all the first-team players match-fit and ready, including the club captain, which will be a big boost to the team and fans’ morale on Thursday night.
Injury Update: Alexia Putellas returns in time to face Chelsea in the UWCL
After spending almost 9 months on the sidelines, Alexia Putellas is back in action. The two-time Ballon d’Or winner last appeared on a football field in July 2022 while on international duty with Spain. Ruled out of the Euros after suffering from an ACL injury, the Barcelona captain has been out of action since then.
However, earlier today, Barcelona fans around the world finally received the good news we have all been waiting for. The official Twitter handle of FC Barcelona Femeni announced that the captain has been medically cleared.
🤩 @alexiaputellas ha rebut l'alta mèdica! pic.twitter.com/z9MPEVrniD
— FC Barcelona Femení (@FCBfemeni) April 26, 2023
Sometime around March 2023, the FIFA The Best winner was reported to be back in training but yet to receive the medical clearance required to play on the pitch. Barcelona will receive a massive boost from the timely return of their captain who returns to action just in time to make the squad list against Chelsea.
Although it’s less likely that she will play a huge part in the second leg of the semi-final, the Blaugrana faithful would be hoping for a cameo that announces the return of the queen on the pitch.
Except for Lucy Bronze who they lost to injury in the first leg against Chelsea, Barcelona can now boast of a fully-fit squad. In a year filled with injury comebacks for the Spanish league leaders, with the likes of Bruna Vilamala, Jana Fernandes, and Cata Coll all returning from long-term spells on the sidelines, Alexia Putellas finally joins the list of long-awaited injury returnees.
Alexia’s return serves as a massive boost for FC Barcelona as they face Chelsea tomorrow in the second leg of their UWCL semi-final clash.
you’re really a just right webmaster. The web site loading speed is incredible.
It sort of feels that you are doing any distinctive trick.
Moreover, The contents are masterwork. you’ve performed a
magnificent task in this subject!