What to look out for in the UEFA Women's Champions League group stage

UEFA Women's Champions League Groups C and D start on Wednesday. We look at the groups and the opening fixtures.

Nowhere to hide in Group C

Last year, Paris Saint-Germain had to come through a group including Chelsea and Real Madrid, and in round 2 this season they were paired with Manchester United. But if they thought the reward for eliminating the debutant Red Devils would be a little luck in the draw, they instead find themselves up against Bayern, Roma and Ajax.

Like Paris, Bayern and Roma both made the quarter-finals last season, while Ajax are the first Dutch team to contest the group stage, having sealed their spot by eliminating Zürich 8-0 on aggregate, a tie that featured five goals by Romée Leuchter.

Ajax came close to pipping Arsenal in round 2 last term, and it says everything about their ambition that they are playing all their home group matches at the Johan Cruijff ArenA. Paris will be the first visitors on Matchday 1, fresh from ousting United despite the sudden pre-tie replacement of coach Gérard Prêcheur with son Jocelyn, the French side enjoying fine displays from Lieke Martens and on-loan Tabitha Chawinga.

Bayern, meanwhile, earned their place as German champions, and that bye was made to look even more invaluable by Wolfsburg's qualifying exit. The Frauen-Bundesliga side bolstered their squad in the summer by signing Chelsea pair Magdalena Eriksson and Pernille Harder, although the Denmark forward has been out recently with an ankle injury.

Lastly, Roma ran Wolfsburg close in their group last season on the way to reaching the quarter-finals on their debut. They went on to clinch their first Italian league title, and some experienced additions to their ranks – including Saki Kumagai from Bayern – suggest ever-growing ambition.

Can Paris FC add to victims?

Although the other French capital club were involved in that mammoth tie against Man United, the qualifying headlines undoubtedly belonged to Paris FC, who knocked out Arsenal on penalties in round 1 before getting past Wolfsburg in round 2 – two clubs who had never failed to reach at least the quarter-finals in 26 previous European campaigns combined. Now up against another London opponent in Chelsea and a further big name in Real Madrid, PFC face a real challenge if they themselves want to make the last eight, as they did twice in their previous guise as FCF Juvisy-Essonne, but they look up to it, not least with Nigerian goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie capturing more headlines following her World Cup displays.

Chelsea pushed Barcelona close in the semi-finals last term, and with Emma Hayes bringing in the likes of Catarina Macario, Mia Fishel, Ashley Lawrence and Sjoeke Nüsken, adding to a squad including Sam Kerr, Lauren James and fit-again Fran Kirby, they look contenders again – despite losing Eriksson and Harder. Last season, they finished above Madrid in their group, but Chelsea travel to the Estadio Alfredo Di Stéfano on Matchday 1 knowing they sometimes rode their luck during the 1-1 draw there in December. And that was before a Spain team packed with Madrid stars pipped an England side not lacking in Chelsea talent in August's World Cup final.

Making up the group – and the first visitors to Paris – are Häcken, who found it tough at this stage two years ago but came through a tricky round 2 tie with Twente before only missing out on the 2023 Damallsvenskan title behind Hammarby on goal difference (at least ensuring a European return next season to the same league path they made it through this time). When Häcken were known as Göteborg FC and PFC were still Juvisy, the pair met in the 2012/13 quarter-finals, the French side winning both legs and 4-1 on aggregate.