Women's Champions League: What to watch out for on Matchday 5

Holders Barcelona and eight-time winners Lyon have already booked their UEFA Women's Champions League quarter-final spots and more teams could join them as the fifth set of matches are played. We preview the action.

Benfica eye history

By the time Benfica set up their first women's section at the end of 2017, FFC Frankfurt had already won four European titles. At that point, the idea that a Portuguese club might go toe-to-toe with a German counterpart looked a long way off.

This week, though, Benfica have the chance to qualify for the quarter-finals at the expense of the now Eintracht Frankfurt. The Lisbon side are three points clear in second with a head-to-head advantage, an added-time penalty save by their German goalkeeper Lena Pauels earning an invaluable 1-1 draw at Frankfurt on Matchday 4. The way Benfica have shrugged off the departure of prolific Cloé Lacasse to Arsenal has been hugely impressive.

One key reason for that has been Kika Nazareth's continued rise, so her absence from the last two group games with an ankle injury is a blow for Benfica. However they still are in a commanding position, not least as Benfica will be through regardless if Frankfurt fail to become only the second team after Chelsea in the 2020s to avoid an away defeat at Barcelona. The holders, already through, looked in ominous form winning last week's Spanish Super Cup, beating Real Madrid 4-0 and Levante 7-0.

Brann on the brink

Norway have much more of a pedigree in this competition than Portugal, but at the start of the season Brann were not necessarily among many people's expected quarter-finalists when the season began in September, especially as they were having a mixed year domestically. But they comfortably won tricky qualifiers against Anderlecht and Glasgow City, and then, as the only team in the group stage making their bow among the last 16 in any format, Brann defeated experienced campaigners St. Pölten and Slavia.

In December they then showed they could live with record eight-time champions Lyon, performing well in a 3-1 away loss then becoming the first team ever to avoid defeat after falling two down to Olympique Lyonnais Féminin in a dramatic 2-2 home draw, teenage sensation Signe Gaupset levelling in added time to warm the crowd in snowy Bergen.

That means that avoiding defeat at Slavia would send Brann to the last eight even before the subsequent visit of St. Pölten. Slavia, three-time quarter-finalists between 2015/16 and 2018/19, beat St. Pölten 1-0 in their postponed Matchday 4 game last Thursday to go to within three points of Brann. The Czech side need victory to stay in contention, and a win by two goals or more would be even more valuable to go ahead of Brann on head-to-head record having lost 1-0 in Norway in November.

Briefing notes

• For the teams going through, first place still matters as it comes with seeding in the quarter-final draw and a guaranteed home second leg. Barcelona will win Group A should they beat Frankfurt or Benfica do not defeat Rosengård, while Lyon seal Group B with victory at eliminated St. Pölten, or if Brann do not pick up more points than OL.