Women’s Champions League: Previewing the UWCL With the Opta Power Rankings

Europe’s premier women’s club competition gets underway once more as the 2024-25 UEFA Women’s Champions League kicks off. We preview each team in the competition, and use the Opta Power Rankings to determine who has the easiest and hardest group.

The 24th edition of the UEFA Women’s Champions League is set to begin as Europe’s best teams battle for continental supremacy once again.

The 2024-25 edition will be without one its mainstays: Paris Saint-Germain are the most recent victims of the increased competitiveness in the women’s game, failing to qualify for the group stages of this edition. The two-time UWCL runners-up have made it to the last eight in each of the previous five seasons.

Wolfsburg suffered the same fate last season, and all signs point to the fact that the women’s football landscape is changing, and changing fast.

The big guns of yesteryear are being challenged, and there are teams like AS Roma, Benfica, BK Häcken and Paris FC ready to step up and disrupt the order of things.

With all the upheaval at the top of the game, if only we had a way to compare teams across the globe regardless of which domestic league they play in.

Step in Opta’s Power Rankings.

The Opta Power Rankings are a global team ranking system that assigns an ability score to over 13,000 men’s domestic football teams and over 2,000 women’s domestic football teams on a scale between zero and 100, where zero is the worst-ranked team in the world and 100 is the best team in the world.

These rankings can help us assess the matchups and the difficulty of a UWCL group, allowing us to analyse a team’s qualification chances.

Let’s put 2024-25’s groups under the scanner.

Group A

Lyon, Wolfsburg, Roma, Galatasaray

Group A hosts two multi-time winners of this prestigious trophy. One of those, Olympique Lyonnais, hold the record for most trophies (8) and most consecutive trophies (5), while Wolfsburg have two titles to their name (2013, 2014) while finishing runners-up (four times) more often than any side.

These two teams have produced some sensational games on the grandest stage of all – who can forget the 2018 final – and met most recently in the 2020 final with Lyon coming out on top once again. 

Lyon (Opta Power Rating of 97.3) are the highest rated team in the group and have added much needed attacking reinforcements this summer. The 2021-22 champions have added PSG’s Tabitha Chawinga and former Wolfsburg full-back Sofie Svava to their ranks this window, adding firepower to their attack which will be coached by Italian goalscoring legend, Patrizia Panico.

With Joe Montemurro in charge, Lyon have started with three wins but their possession-heavy style is yet to be truly tested. Montemurro’s biggest test will be to maximize the squad’s potential while keeping the side potent when facing a deep block.

While Lyon will be favourites to finish at the top of this group, the gap between Roma and Wolfsburg is not that big. According to the Opta Power Rankings, Wolfsburg are rated 93.2 while the Italian champions are not far behind with a rating of 91.2, underlining a matchup can go either way.

Both Wolfsburg and Roma have had a slow start to their domestic seasons.

The 2013 and 2014 champions, Wolfsburg, recently suffered a 3-0 loss to Eintracht Frankfurt in the league and lost Ewa Pajor in the summer. This move has significantly weakened the German side who have struggled to create a tactical identity under Tommy Stroot.

The German giants are already five points behind league leaders Bayern Munich domestically and have conceded more goals than four of the top five teams in the league. An aging backline, lack of defensive reinforcements and an attack still finding its feet has put Wolfsburg in a spot of worry. After missing the UWCL entirely last season, they will be hoping to turn a new page this campaign.

Roma under Alessandro Spugna have shaken up Italian football, winning their first cup and league title in the span of three years. Spugna’s ability to maximize the youth talent available to him and some smart recruitment has got them to this stage.

However, a cross-heavy and shot-happy approach is seemingly hitting a roadblock this season for a multitude of reasons. With Inter making moves this window and Fiorentina punching above their weight, Roma are already six points off the pace in the title race. They have seemed stale in possession and have failed to reinforce the side this summer.

Galatasaray, making their debut in the competition, will face an uphill battle coming up against the established powerhouses in the group. The Turkish side won their league last season and overcame Sparta Praha in the second round of qualifiers to make their way into the group stages. 

With a rating of 74.5, Galatasaray are the lowest rated side in the competition and will hope to make a mark in their maiden campaign. Former Juventus and Atlético Madrid striker, Andrea Stašková is the talismanic figure for the Turkish club. The 6-foot forward is an excellent focal point in attack, and is dangerous from range. The Colombian Catalina Usme will also be key with her vast experience in women’s football.

Group B

Chelsea, Real Madrid, Twente, Celtic

Group B has Chelsea pitted against Real Madrid… once again. It’s a clash that is becoming a familiar one on the European stage, with Real Madrid establishing themselves as the second-best Spanish side.

Chelsea, currently ranked second in the Opta Power Rankings, have been pretenders at the biggest stage for a few years now. The Blues reached the final in the 2021-22 season, but suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Barcelona.

The side then fell short against Barcelona in two of the next three seasons, at the semi-final stage each time. However, the WSL champions have evolved each time when facing Barcelona, most notably beating them away last season with a 3–5-2 formation.

That win, however, came under Emma Hayes, who has been replaced by Lyon’s Sonia Bompastor this season.

Bompastor’s side has depth and a fresh look about them with key additions of Lucy Bronze, Sandy Baltimore and Oriane Jean-Francois. Young guns like Maika Hamano, Aggie Beever-Jones and Wieke Kaptein have shown brilliant promise as well. With Sam Kerr out at the moment, Bompastor is still finding solutions and learning about her squad, which can open doors for some surprises.

Real Madrid have slowly become a mainstay in the UWCL since making their debut in 2021-22 season. Still searching for their first trophy, Las Blancas have added significant depth to their squad this summer, allowing them to compete on all fronts and deal with injuries.

Alberto Toril’s side, however, have often looked lacklustre on the pitch and he is in danger of failing to maximize this squad’s potential. Their reliance on crosses to generate chances, as well as flawed set-piece defending, was something that was exposed in their matchup against Sporting Lisbon in the qualifiers this year.

Real Madrid have failed to beat Chelsea in the UWCL so far, losing two and drawing two against them. Madrid are ranked 15 in the Opta Power Rankings (91.3), highlighting the gap between these two teams. Melanie Leupolz switching allegiances this summer adds another interesting wrinkle to the encounters between the two sides.

Celtic (80.6) have already made history by qualifying for the group stages this year, while Twente (86.3) are making a return to the main draw for the first time since the 2019-20 season. The Dutch side will be hoping for a good return to the competition.

Group B has the lowest average rating (88.9) of any group this season. Chelsea and Real Madrid are the two clear favourites, while debutants Celtic under Elena Sadiku will be hoping to create more history by trying to register a win this campaign. Twente will hope to prolong their European dream as much as possible.

Group C

Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Juventus, Vålerenga

If there was ever a group of death in the UWCL, Group C would be it. With an average team rating of 92.3, this is statistically the hardest group in the competition this term.

Arsenal are under pressure after a slow start to their WSL season with one win and two draws in their first three games. With underperformance in big matchups and problems in defence and attack alike, Jonas Eidevall is under big pressure ahead of a key week for the club.

After overcoming a blip against BK Häcken in the qualifiers, Arsenal have struggled to fit the summer’s biggest signing, Mariona Caldentey, into the squad. After losing Vivianne Miedema to Man City this summer, the Gunners are searching for balance and a talismanic figure in attack. They are ranked below both Chelsea and Man City in the Opta Power Rankings, with a rating of 94.3.

Bayern Munich, on the other hand, have dethroned Wolfsburg in Germany and won back-to-back domestic titles. With talent littered all over the pitch, the Bavarian giants are hoping to go one better than the final four this season.

With a healthy balance between youth and experience in the squad, Alexander Straus has this team ready to compete and win right now. With veterans like Pernille Harder and Magdalena Eriksson, players hitting their peak like Klara Buhl and Lea Schuller and a youthful boost of talent like Ana Guzman and Alara Sehitler, Bayern seem prepared for success, on paper.

After snatching Lena Oberdorf from direct rivals Wolfsburg this summer, Bayern have a top five squad in the world. This is fairly reflected in them being ranked fifth according to Opta’s Power Ranking, with a score of 94.6. 

Arsenal knocked out Bayern in the quarter-finals of the 2022-23 edition. Frida Maanum scored an absolute belter after a stunning team move. There is an undertone of revenge between these two, which should add spice to their encounters

Juventus, with an Opta Power Rating of 91.6, have bounced back admirably after losing pace in Italy over the last couple of seasons. Under new manager Massimiliano Canzi and with key additions of Hanna Bennison and Alisha Lehmann, Juve have looked threatening.

Vålerenga were crowned Norwegian champions last season. They are the lowest rated side in the group but with Arsenal and Bayern in a rut, they will feel capable of creating problems for them. Karina Sævik and Thea Bjelde are key to Vålerenga on the pitch and will look to inspire positive results this campaign.

Group D

Barcelona, Man City, St. Pölten, Hammarby

Group D has two of the top four ranked clubs across the globe according to Opta’s Power Rankings. Barcelona are the highest rated side in women’s football right now, while Gareth Taylor’s Manchester City are ranked fourth with a rating of 95.4.

Barcelona are favourites to win the Champions League again this year after making it back-to-back triumphs last campaign. The Blaugranas have the last two Ballon d’Or winners, Aitana Bonmati and Alexia Putellas, and have a strong candidate for the third one in Caroline Graham Hansen. The Spanish champions have gone and added fuel to fire by reuniting Hansen with her partner in crime at Wolfsburg, Pajor.

The Polish striker is currently the leading goalscorer in the league with six goals, including a hat-trick in their 10-1 thrashing of Granada. She has recorded a goal contribution in all but one league game so far, combining with Hansen three times already. Pere Romeu’s side is easily the most stacked squad in the world and presents a herculean challenge for any side trying to beat them.

Manchester City missed out on a league title last season based on goal difference and they’ve made sure they score enough and then some this season. City have signed WSL’s all-time top scorer Miedema, while holding onto Khadija Shaw, Lauren Hemp, Chloe Kelly, Mary Fowler, Jess Park and adding Japan’s sensation, Aoba Fujino for good measure.

Taylor has his job cut out for him this season as he tries to fit in as many attacking talents as possible into his side without losing balance.

The two sides will reignite some old flames having met in the 2020-21 edition at the quarter-final stage. City managed to beat Barcelona 2-1 at home while suffering a 3-0 defeat in the second leg. In an epic battle of two sides with boundless attacking potential, this game will boil down to their respective midfield’s workload.

Hammarby are one of the sides to look out for in this edition. The reigning Swedish champions managed to create history last season, winning their second league title after a 38-year wait.

Things have changed since then, though, with key players like Kyra Cooney-Cross and Maika Hamano both moving to different teams. Hammarby have managed to recruit more exciting young talent in former Man City winger Julie Blakstad, Anna Josendal, Cathinka Tandberg and Ellen Wangerheim to shoulder that attacking load.

Although Hammarby (85.7) are the fourth lowest ranked side this season, they can pack a punch with their youthful exuberance

St. Pölten are the second lowest ranked side in the tournament, with a rating score of 79.2. The Austrian side appeared in the group stage in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 season, finishing third and fourth in those seasons respectively. They might struggle to go toe-to-toe against the big guns, but they could be a curveball for the less experienced Hammarby.

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