Women's Champions League preview: Real Madrid vs Breidablik

Real Madrid, one of three newcomers to European competition in this season's tournament, will be aiming to keep up their winning start in Group B against Icelandic opponents Breidablik, the first from their nation to reach a major group stage in UEFA club football.

• Las Blancas had Lorena Navarro to thank for their narrow 1-0 Matchday 1 victory against Kharkiv, with her strike from close range just after the half-hour mark ultimately the difference.

• David Aznar's side enjoyed 70% possession in Kharkiv – with only Hoffenheim having more of the ball in all the opening round of group stage matches – but were unable to add to their tally, with Navarro, Athenea del Castillo and Caroline Møller all spurning opportunities to extend their lead.

• Breidablik made two-time UEFA Women’s Champions League runners-up Paris work for their 2-0 Matchday 1 success, with Grace Geyoro only doubling the visitors' advantage in the 89th minute.

Ones to watch: Real Madrid

Athenea del Castillo
• The 20-year-old was substituted in the 84th minute of the Matchday 1 victory against Kharkiv, having played the full match in both legs of the 2-1 aggregate qualifying Round 2 success against Manchester City.

• The forward made her Las Blancas debut in the 1-1 first leg home draw against the Cityzens on 31 August, having joined the club earlier in the summer from Deportivo.

• She netted nine league goals for the Galicia-based side last term, but was unable to help her team prevent relegation from the Primera División, as they finished 15th.

• The Spanish international, who made her senior La Roja debut last year, was part of their successful Under-19 side that won the 2018 UEFA Women's Championship in Switzerland.

Nahikari García
• The forward, who was the first Real Madrid signing of the summer when she joined in July from first club Real Sociedad, is one of six Las Blancas players to start all three of their matches in the competition so far this term (including qualifiers).

• The 24-year-old spent over seven seasons with the San Sebastián outfit, where she netted over 100 goals in all competitions.

• The forward scored the winning goal as Real Sociedad secured their first major honour, the 2019 Copa de la Reina, courtesy of a 2-1 victory against Atlético Madrid.

• The Spain international, who represented her country at the 2019 FIFA World Cup, was a runner-up with her country on five occasions at major tournaments at youth level.

Lorena Navarro
• The 20-year-old scored her side’s only goal in the 1-0 Matchday 1 success against Kharkiv, earning her the Player of the Match award.

• The Madrid-born attacker had four attempts against the Ukrainian side on 6 October, more than any other player in the match.

• The forward began her career with second-tier side Madrid CFF, before joining CD Tacón in 2016, who would later be rebranded as Las Blancas.

• She has been capped by Spain at youth level, scooping the UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship in 2015. She was a prolific scorer for that side, securing the golden boot at the 2016 FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Jordan, having also shared the top markswoman honours at the UEFA Women's Championship for that age group earlier that year.

Ones to watch: Breidablik

Agla María Albertsdóttir
• The 22-year-old mustered four attempts in the 2-0 Matchday 1 defeat to Paris, more than any other Breidablik player.

• She was the club's top scorer in the qualifying campaign, notching six strikes, including a hat-trick against Gintr, and also showed her eye for goal in the title-winning 2020 season, sharing the Icelandic top-flight golden boot with team-mate Sveindís Jane Jónsdóttir.

• The attacker is a product of the club's youth set-up but did not make the breakthrough into the senior side before a move to Valur in 2015. She joined Stjarnan a year later, returning to her first club in 2018.

• The Icelandic international represented her country at the 2017 Women's EURO in the Netherlands.

Selma Sól Magnúsdóttir
• The 23-year-old had played every minute of Breidablik's four matches in qualifying for the UEFA Women's Champions League prior to being an unused substitute for the reverse against Paris.

• She chipped in with three goals in the preliminaries ahead of this inaugural group stage, including a double strike in the 7-0 Round 1 semi-final qualifier against KÍ Klaksvík of the Faroe Islands.

• The midfielder made her debut for the reigning Icelandic champions way back in 2013 and has been a part of two title-winning seasons with the club, having spent the 2015 campaign on loan at Fylkir.

Karen Sigurgeirsdóttir
• The 20-year-old managed three shots in the 2-0 loss to Paris on Matchday 1, with only Albertsdóttir having more for the Icelandic outfit.

• The midfielder only signed for the reigning Úrvalsdeild kvenna champions from first club Thór/KA at the end of September, and made her Breidablik bow in the defeat against the side from the French capital.

• Capped by Iceland at youth level, she was named in a training camp for the seniors back in February this year but is yet to make her bow for the full national side.

Key stats

• This is Real Madrid's debut season in European competition, they are unbeaten so far (W2 D1).

• Real Madrid have won each of their last two UEFA Women’s Champions League matches 1-0.

• Real Madrid have scored once in each of their three UEFA Women's Champions League matches this season.

• Breidablik have lost only one of their last ten European matches outside of their own country.

• Breidablik have won the Icelandic championship a record 18 times.

• Breidablik reached the quarter-finals of the 2006/07 UEFA Women's Cup, losing to eventual champions Arsenal.

• Breidablik are the first team from Iceland to reach a major UEFA club competition group stage.