With the quarter-finals of the Women’s Champions League set to begin next week, the top teams left in the competition are ready to fight for the most prestigious trophy in the game.
Ranking favourites to go all the way in any competition can be difficult, but it’s a particularly tough job with the calibre of side left in the 2022/23 edition.
Olympique Lyonnais are the defending champions, are seeing off Barcelona in the 2022 final, and both fancy their chances of going all the way once more. Here’s 90min’s favourites to scoop up the trophy when it’s all said and done.
It’s harsh to call AS Roma the serial underdogs, but it would be a huge surprise if they won the Champions League given that it’s their debut season in the competition.
Historically, Italian teams have not done well in UEFA competitions, with Hellas Verona being the only team from the country to make it to the semi-finals of the UEFA Women’s Cup (the UWCL’s predecessor) back in 200708.
This season, Roma have impressed with their attacking style of play under Alessandro Spugna, and are top of the Serie A table with an eight-point lead.
They’re set to face their biggest test of the season in Barcelona, and it’s difficult to imagine that they can pull off an upset against last season’s beaten finalists.
Arsenal haven’t been the most consistent side this season, with Jonas Eidevall’s team going through some major ups and downs throughout the year.
In recent years, Arsenal, alongside other English clubs, haven’t been able to get over the hurdle of the knockout round, and the Gunners have fallen short in the quarter-finals the last three seasons they’ve been in the UWCL.
The team has also had to adjust to playing without Beth Mead and Vivianne Miedema, who are both out with long-term injuries.
Their recent 3-1 win over Chelsea in the Conti Cup should give them some confidence heading into their tie against Bayern Munich.
Chelsea have a lot to prove this season after disappointingly crashing out of the group stages last season.
Emma Hayes’ side are doing well in the league, leading the Women’s Super League by two points with a game in hand, and they managed to top their UWCL group with five wins, and a 1-1 draw against Real Madrid.
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