Key events
The Women’s Champions League has a new format this season. Uefa insist that it is “exciting”.
It’s a “Swiss” system as now seen in the men’s competition: an 18-team group phase, when each team plays six matches, three home and three away.
The top four qualify for the quarter-finals, while those sides placed 7th to 12th will play two-legged playoff ties to try and make it into the last eight. The sides ranked 13th and below are eliminated.
Arsenal’s fixtures in the exciting new format are as follows:
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7 October (8pm) v Lyon (H)
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16 October (8pm) v Benfica (A)
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12 November (5.45pm) v Bayern Munich (A)
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19 November 19 v Real Madrid (H)
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9 December 9 v Twente (H)
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17 December (8pm) v OH Leuven (A)
Preamble
“You never retain anything,” as a wise sports coach once said. “You give it back, and try to win it again.”
Arsenal Women begin their attempt at a second consecutive Women’s Champions League this evening against OL Lyonnes, and recent results mean they should approach a new European campaign with a degree of humility rather than the swagger of champions. The Gunners are winless domestically since nearly a month ago, most recently losing 3-2 to Manchester City on Sunday, and basic tasks such as defending set-pieces and corners suddenly seem to be a challenge.
Lyonnes, on the other hand, are unbeaten in all competitions since being turned over by Arsenal in their two-legged semi-final late last season. (A remarkable 4-1 win in France, after a 2-1 first-leg loss, secured Arsenal’s passage to the final and to ultimate glory.)
“We start from scratch,” said the Arsenal Women head coach, Renée Slegers, hitting the right notes of new-season renewal and humility. “We’re very proud of what we did last year and there was a lot going into that, but we all start over again, and everyone is constantly developing.”
Can Arsenal shrug off indifferent domestic form and get their Women’s Champions League campaign off to a strong start? We’re about to find out.
Kick-off: 8pm UK time.
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