Arsenal v Chelsea — women’s tie
Arsenal Women host Chelsea in an all-London UEFA Women’s Champions League quarterfinal leg today — a heavyweight derby with European quarterfinal stakes. The quarterfinal draw also features Madrid–Barcelona and Man Utd vs Bayern, making this week a showcase for club women’s football. (lethbridgeherald.com) (sportskeeda.com)
Kick-off is scheduled for 8pm UK time at Arsenal Stadium (Emirates), with live coverage on BBC Two and Disney+ in the UK. (chelseafc.com) The second leg is set for Wednesday 1 April (21:00 CET) at Stamford Bridge, and UEFA notes this is the first time two clubs from the same city have met in a UEFA women's club competition. (uefa.com) Arsenal reached the last eight after a 7-1 aggregate play-off win over OH Leuven, with Alessia Russo scoring three across that tie to move clear as the competition’s top scorer on seven goals. (uefa.com) Chelsea avoided the play-offs by finishing the league phase automatically, ending level with Barcelona on goals scored (20) and boasting the joint-best defensive return of three goals conceded, and they retained the Women’s League Cup on 15 March. (uefa.com) UEFA’s preview lists likely starting XIs including Arsenal attackers Beth Mead, Alessia Russo and Chloe Kelly, and Chelsea names such as Guro Reiten‑area players in the squad with Millie Bright/others among defensive options in the Blues’ projected eleven. (uefa.com) Several players on both teams — Arsenal’s Steph Catley, Kyra Cooney‑Cross and Caitlin Foord, and Chelsea’s Sam Kerr and Ellie Carpenter — were involved for Australia in the 1-0 AFC Asian Women’s Cup final loss to Japan on Saturday. (uefa.com) Renée Slegers is Arsenal’s permanent head coach after stepping up from interim charge, a move the club confirmed when appointing her to the post. (arsenal.com) Sonia Bompastor is Chelsea’s head coach and has recently extended her contract with the club, a sign of managerial continuity for the Blues heading into the quarter-final. (skysports.com)
