UEFA Women’s Champions League Final: Can Arsenal upset title-holders Barcelona?

euronews (in English)

Barcelona are seeking a historic fourth title in five years, while Arsenal push through to the final after thrilling comebacks in the knockout stages.

Transcript

00:00After a season which saw early exits, exciting comebacks and record attendances across the continent,

00:07the most prestigious prize in women's football, the 2024-25 Champions League, will be decided between Barcelona and Arsenal.

00:16So, who will lift the trophy in Lisbon? Can Barca retain their title, or will the Gunners shatter their dreams?

00:23Hello and welcome to Football Now. On this week's episode of the show, we're taking a look ahead to the Women's UEFA Champions League,

00:36which is nearing its conclusion for yet another season.

00:40Defending champions Barcelona will take on women's Super League outfit Arsenal in the final at the Jose Alvalade Stadium in Lisbon.

00:48So, let's take a look at how both teams have made it this far.

00:54Arsenal are competing for just their second continental crown in their history.

00:58The last time they took home a European title was the Women's UEFA Cup, way back in 2007.

01:05Meanwhile, Barcelona are competing in their sixth Champions League final since the 2018-19 season.

01:12The Spanish giants cruise through the knockout stages of this year's competition,

01:16easily overpowering German side Wolfsburg 10-2 on aggregates,

01:21before securing their position in this year's final with a pair of 4-1 wins over Chelsea.

01:26In terms of the semi-final, they beat Chelsea comprehensively 8-2.

01:32It was quite a shock to a lot of people.

01:36Chelsea have been so dominant in the WSL this year.

01:38People thought this might be the year that Chelsea battle Barcelona and take them a bit further.

01:43They've lost in a final to Barcelona before and in semi-finals before too.

01:48In terms of Barcelona's dominance, it's incredible.

01:51I spoke to Bormati after the semi-final and what really struck me is that she said,

01:57it's not normal to make five finals in a row.

01:59We're making it look like it's normal, but it's really not.

02:02We're fighting really hard here.

02:03It's not a given.

02:04Yes, since appearing in their first final back in 2019,

02:08Barcelona have now made it this far in each of the last five seasons,

02:13including lifting the trophy on three of those occasions.

02:17So what has been behind the rapid rise and continued continental domination by Barcelona Femini?

02:24Barcelona as a club, as a system, as a culture has really been working for years to build a team of superstars like this one.

02:34They have a number of key players who have come through their academy system,

02:38which is one of the best in world football, men's or women's.

02:42Barcelona are one of the few clubs who are sort of at this level in the women's game

02:46that have a really distinct philosophy and style and identity to the way that they play.

02:52You can't win a game of football if you don't have the ball,

02:55and that is Barcelona's entire approach to winning trophies.

02:59They have so much more of the ball, and what they do with that ball is so much more efficient

03:03and so much more productive, often than what other clubs can do.

03:06In contrast, Arsenal's road to the final consisted of two incredible comebacks.

03:11After overcoming first-leg losses in their quarter-final against Real Madrid

03:15and their semi-final against Lyon,

03:18their 4-1 win away from home against the eight-time European champions Lyon

03:23will go down as one of the finest moments in the club's history.

03:27So the question now is, can Arsenal take that final step,

03:32stun Barcelona in the decider,

03:34and go on to win the UEFA Women's Champions League?

03:37There's just something special in the waters at Arsenal, it seems,

03:40and René Slegers, their new head coach,

03:42only took the reins a couple of months ago.

03:44So Arsenal can learn a lot from the blueprint that other teams have set

03:48in terms of how to get a result against Barcelona.

03:51Real Madrid is one of the teams that has actually won a game against Barca

03:54in the league this season, and they've played it in a very similar fashion.

03:58Counterattacking, transitional style, sit back, absorb Barcelona's pressure,

04:02and then counterattack out wide and having a player running through the middle.

04:06Caitlin Ford, the Matildas winger, is a really great example

04:10of the kind of player that Arsenal should be deploying

04:13in a counterattacking, transitional style.

04:16That's probably the only way that I can see Arsenal getting any kind of result

04:20from this Barca side.

04:21It's going to be a real effort, especially when you look at Barcelona's midfield,

04:25and you've got players like Artana Bonmati and Alexio Poteas,

04:29two Ballon d'Or winners, best players on the planet.

04:32They're going to have a battle ahead of them.

04:33Arsenal's qualification for the final reflects a growing trend

04:38of clubs who are synonymous with success in the men's game

04:41also trying to build their women's team into Europe's elite.

04:46Arsenal's women's team have drawn record crowd attendances this season,

04:50on four occasions attracting over 40,000 supporters to the Emirates Stadium.

04:55So how important is it that the traditional big Premier League teams,

04:59such as Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal,

05:02continue to invest heavily in the women's game?

05:05Behind the scenes, the club every year look to try and unite even more

05:09with regards to bringing the men's side towards the women's side

05:12and really making it that one club mentality.

05:14And I think when you look at the progress that the club's made since,

05:17I think that was a game changer with regards to then the players' performances.

05:21I know full well that the players and the staff and the club itself

05:24wants the women's team to be back up there.

05:26They want to have a successful women's team as well as a men's team.

05:29So I'm excited for what the next kind of two to three years lies ahead for them

05:33and as a fan, excited to be a part of it.

05:36It's looking like it'll be an exciting final in Lisbon then.

05:39Will Barcelona continue their recent success

05:42or will Arsenal pit them to the trophy this time?

05:46Let us know using the hashtag

05:47FootballNowWomen'sChampionsLeague.

05:50That's all we've got time for though this week here from the Albay Stadium in Qatar.

05:54We'll see you next time. Bye for now.

05:59We'll see you next time.

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