Women's Champions League: VfL Wolfsburg v FC Barcelona

A huge night awaits at the Estadio de la Real Sociedad in San Sebastian, as it hosts the showpiece Women’s Champions League semi-final between Wolfsburg and Barça. The Catalans are looking to reach the final for the second time, after meeting Lyon in their debut final last season. But it won’t be easy. They’re up against a giant of the women’s game, winners of the trophy in 2013 and 2014 and twice finalists since then, as well as winning the last four editions of the Frauen-Bundesliga.

For Caroline Graham Hansen it is going to be an especially big day. The Norwegian was part of the German club until she switched to blaugrana in 2019.

The teams are meeting in a rematch of the 2014 quarter-final, which Wolfsburg won 5-0. But that was back when Barça had only just turned professional. A lot has changed since then, and with the experience of Budapest a year ago fresh in their minds, the side coached by Lluís Cortés have their sights firmly set on going one step further and winning the coveted trophy for the first time in club history.

Clash of styles

Barça play the same way as the men, playing possession-based ‘tiki-taka’ football, while Wolfsburg prefer a more physical, direct approach, doing all they can to get the ball quickly up to their fearsome attacking threesome of Pajor, Harder and Popp.

They have powered their way into the semis by beating Mitrovica of Kosovo (15-0 on aggregate) and Twente of Holland (7-0 on aggregate), and then hammering Glasgow City 9-1 in the quarter final.

Barça, meanwhile, got past Juventus (4-1 on aggregate), Minsk (8-1 on aggregate) and Atlético Madrid 1-0.  

As was the case with the men’s competition in Portugal, all of the games are being played as single legged ties at a single venue, the Basque Country. The prize will be a meeting with the winners of the all-French semi-final between defending champions Lyon and Paris Saint Germain.