UWCL 2023 Chelsea - Barcelona match facts

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.