UWCL 2023 Chelsea - Barcelona match facts
Monday, April 17, 2023
Article summary
The only side in the semi-finals yet to win the trophy, Chelsea take on the side that beat them in the 2020/21 UEFA Women's Champions League final, Spanish powerhouse Barcelona.
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![Chelsea and Barcelona line up ahead of the 2021 Champions League final Chelsea and Barcelona line up ahead of the 2021 Champions League final](https://editorial.uefa.com/resources/0280-17cdf3d986eb-fb1f96639541-1000/format/wide1/chelsea_fc_v_fc_barcelona_-_uefa_women_s_champions_league_final_2021.jpeg?imwidth=158)
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Chelsea, the only side left in this season's UEFA Women's Champions League who are yet to lift the trophy, welcome Barcelona for the first leg of their semi-final in a repeat of the 2020/21 final.
• The Blaugrana recorded the competition's biggest final victory with a 4-0 win against the Blues in Gothenburg in May 2021. Melanie Leupolz conceded an own goal in the opening minute, before Alexia Putellas' 14th-minute penalty, Aitana Bonmatí (21) and Caroline Graham Hansen (36) rounded off a stunning first-half display as Barcelona claimed their first European title.
• Chelsea, who have reached the last four of this competition for the first time since 2021, knocked out reigning champions and eight-time winners Lyon in the quarter-finals, triumphing 4-3 on penalties after a dramatic 2-2 aggregate draw. Maren Mjelde forced the shoot-out with her successful spot kick deep in extra time.
• The Blues have successfully navigated just one of their previous three semi-final ties – their last, the 5-3 aggregate win versus Bayern Munich (1-2 a, 4-1 h) in 2020/21, with Fran Kirby's double and a Pernille Harder goal key to Chelsea's second-leg comeback in London.
• The Londoners reached this stage of the competition three times in four seasons between 2018 and 2021, going out 5-1 on aggregate to Wolfsburg in April 2018 and the following year going out 3-2 to Lyon, who would go on to defeat Barcelona in the Budapest final in May 2019.
• Barcelona claimed a fifth successive semi-final appearance with a 5-1 second-leg win at home to debutants Roma in the quarter-finals, securing a 6-1 aggregate success.
• Barça, whose UEFA Women's Champions League semi-final record is W3 L2, have progressed in three of their last four ties at this stage, their only failure in that time coming against Wolfsburg in 2019/20. Current Barcelona forward Fridolina Rolfö scored the only goal in the 58th minute for the Frauen-Bundesliga club.
Ones to watch: Chelsea
Ann-Katrin Berger
• The 32-year-old saved two penalties as Chelsea triumphed 4-3 on spot kicks following a 2-2 aggregate draw against Lyon in the quarter-finals.
• Berger was in the Chelsea goal for the 4-0 final defeat by Barcelona in Gothenburg in May 2021.
• She has kept three clean sheets in her five European appearances this term, helping Chelsea to six clean sheets – the best record in the 2022/23 UEFA Women's Champions League.
• The former Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper helped the French side reach the 2015/16 UEFA Women's Champions League semi-finals at the expense of Barcelona, keeping a clean sheet in a 1-0 home second-leg victory in the teams' quarter-final tie.
• Berger's 12 clean sheets helped Chelsea to the 2020/21 Women's Super League title, earning her the division's Golden Glove award.
Caroline Graham Hansen
• The 28-year-old's goal rounded off the 4-0 victory against Chelsea in the 2021 final.
• Graham Hansen started both legs of Wolfsburg's 5-1 aggregate defeat of the English club in the 2017/18 semi-finals.
• She scored the 78th-minute winner in Wolfsburg's 2-1 away victory against Chelsea in the round of 16 first leg in November 2015.
• The winger's last goal in this competition came in Barcelona's 5-1 home win against her former side Wolfsburg in the semi-final first leg on 22 April 2022.
• Graham Hansen provided two assists in the 5-1 home success against Roma in this season's quarter-final second leg on 29 March.
• The Norwegian international, who is in her fourth campaign with Barça, extended her contract until summer 2026 earlier this year.
Key stats
• Chelsea's record in three UEFA Women's Champions League semi-final ties is W1 L2:
2017/18 Wolfsburg L 1-5 (1-3 h, 0-2 a)
2018/19 Lyon L 2-3 (1-2 a, 1-1 h)
2020/21 Bayern W 5-3 (1-2 a, 4-1 h)
• Chelsea's 4-0 defeat against Barcelona in the 2021 final is their only loss in five UEFA Women's Champions League matches against Spanish clubs (W2 D2).
• The Blues have won 2-0 in both their previous home European games against Spanish visitors, Atlético in March 2021 and Real Madrid in November 2022.
• Chelsea have lost only one of their last 14 home European games (W10 D3).
• The Londoners have lost only two of their last 14 UEFA Women's Champions League matches (W9 D3).
• Chelsea have scored in all eight of their games in this season's competition.
• Barcelona have won three of their previous five semi-final ties:
2016/17 Paris Saint-Germain L 1-5 (1-3 h, 0-2 a)
2018/19 Bayern W 2-0 (1-0 a, 1-0 h)
2019/20 Wolfsburg L 0-1(n)
2020/21 Paris Saint-Germain W 3-2 (1-1 a, 2-1 h)
2021/22 Wolfsburg W 5-3 (5-1 h, 0-2 a)
• Barcelona are through to the semi-finals for the fifth successive season.
• The Spanish side have won four of their last five matches against English clubs (L1), including their 4-0 victory against Chelsea in the 2021 final, scoring four goals in each of the last three.
• Barcelona have won 18 of their last 21 UEFA Women's Champions League matches (L3) including all of the last four.
• Only one of Barcelona's last 58 European games has finished as a draw.
• The Catalan club have only failed to score in two of their last 43 UEFA Women's Champions League matches.