It’s time. Barça Femeni’s biggest match of the season is upon us. This Saturday they are in yet another Champions League final, the sixth, with the chance to lift a fourth European title. Lisbon’s Estádio José Alvalade will be the stage, and there is already some history between the blaugranas and the Gunners. They have met four times before, with parity until now.

Arsenal strike first

Whenever Barça and Arsenal meet, goals are guaranteed. All four previous encounters ended in heavy wins, two for each side.

The first clash came in 2012/13, the season of Barça’s Champions League debut. In the Round-of-32 first leg at the Miniestadi the Londoners overwhelmed Barça 3-0, a harsh result that was followed by a 4-0 defeat in the return leg, ending the blaugranas’ campaign.

May that serve as a reminder how much the team has progressed in just a decade...

Response nine years later

The clubs would not cross paths again until 2021/22, in the opening fixture of the group stage, and the script flipped completely. Barça had progressed from being a side that struggled to have any major impact to being one of the biggest forces, if not the biggest, in European football. They swept aside Arsenal 4-1 at the Estadi Johan Cruyff, with goals from Mariona Caldentey, Alexia Putellas, Oshoala and Martens. Later on in the group, they went to London and did it again: a commanding 4-0 win, courtesy of a Jennifer Hermoso brace plus strikes from Rölfo and Aitana.

Thus the record stands at two victories apiece. An equilibrium that will be broken this Saturday in Lisbon’s grand final.

Second final

This is actually the second time the clubs have met in a Champions League final. The first was the men’s showdown in 2006, when Barça beat Arsenal to claim their second Champions League. Including that match, the men's sides have faced off eight times overall, with a balance of five Barça wins, two draws and just one defeat.

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