David Flower
Dailysports's expert
Barcelona
Chelsea FC Women
The first semifinal clash of the Women's Champions League will take place on Sunday at the Johan Cruyff Arena, where the local Barcelona will host Chelsea. I suggest betting on goals in this encounter with a good coefficient.
Match preview
Barcelona confidently confirms its status as the hegemon of women's football in Spain and Europe. Jonathan Giráldez's charges are not slowing down this season and are practically one hand away from securing another La Liga trophy. With four rounds to go before the final stretch of the championship, the blaugrana lead the table with 72 points, holding a significant seven-point margin over Real Madrid. Just one symbolic step remains to achieve a sixth consecutive championship — earning just 8 more points, which, considering their current form, seems only a matter of time.
Besides dominating the championship, Barça is confidently advancing in the cup route. The Catalans have reached the final of the Spanish Cup, where they will face Atlético in June in another high-profile fixture. And in the Champions League, the team completely dismantled Wolfsburg, thrashing the German giant with an aggregate score of 10-2 over the two-legged quarterfinal showdown. Such a display is a bright signal to the competitors: the blaugrana have serious ambitions for the treble again, and no one seems capable of stopping them.
Chelsea is consistently stamping victories and maintaining a high pace, matching Barcelona's ambitions. Adrian Jacob's team leads the Women's Super League with 48 points and has a game in hand, making their three-point lead over Arsenal particularly significant. The London club is closing in on a historic achievement — a sixth consecutive English championship title, and with their current level of play, it looks quite realistic.
On the cup front, the Blues continue their march. The FA Cup final is just around the corner — there they will face Manchester United, and knowing the aristocrats' mentality, there's no doubt the team will be gunning for victory. In the Champions League, Chelsea showed steely character by staging a comeback against Manchester City. Having lost the first match 0-2, the Londoners managed to turn everything upside down and snatch a semifinal spot with a final score of 3-2. Such resilience and psychological strength speak of a team that not only wants titles — it plans for them.
Probable lineups
- Barcelona: Coll — Brugts, Engen, Paredes, Fernández — Putellas, Guijarro, Bonmatí — Paralluelo, Pajor, López
- Chelsea: Hampton — Baltimore, Bright, Björn, Bronze — Cuthbert, Walsh — James, Captain, Rytting-Kaneryd — Ramirez
Match facts and head-to-head
- Last season, the teams met in the Champions League semifinals and Barcelona advanced thanks to a 2-0 away victory
- The "Both teams to score" bet hit in one out of five matches
- The "Over 2.5 goals" bet hit in one out of five encounters
Prediction
Both teams delight with their level of play this season, and their clash promises to be bright and productive. Our bet for the match is "Over 3.0 goals" with a coefficient of 1.62.
