Barcelona vs Chelsea Women's Champions League preview: Where to watch, line-ups

Barcelona and Chelsea meet in the UEFA Women's Champions League semi-final first leg on Saturday 20 April at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys.

What do you need to know

A year on from Barcelona pipping Chelsea in the semi-finals on their way to regaining the title in Eindhoven, the pair are matched again one step from the Bilbao decider. Last season an early Caroline Graham Hansen stunner in the Stamford Bridge first leg was the key to Barcelona's progress, despite Chelsea drawing 1-1 at Camp Nou, a much tighter tie than the 2021 Gothenburg final, a 4-0 Blaugana victory with all the goals before half-time.

This time Barcelona are at home first, and with Camp Nou being renovated will play their second match at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, where they beat Real Madrid 5-0 in a November Liga F match. That is a pretty typical result in a season where the Champions League holders have seldom looked like losing and with several players in rich goalscoring form, not least the hero of the 2023 semi-final, Graham Hansen, who has been out injured but is available on Saturday, though Mapi León remains sidelined.

This is Barcelona coach Jonatan Giráldez's last campaign in charge before departing for a job in the United States and the same is of course true of Chelsea manager Emma Hayes, who is missing only the Champions League trophy from her 12 years in charge (partly 'thanks' to the Blaugrana). Recent cup disappointments mean that Hayes can no longer bow out with the same quadruple she won as Gunners assistant manager in 2006/07, but a double of European and English league titles remains very much on.

This has been done despite a constant injury list with Sam Kerr, Mia Fishel and Aniek Nouwen current long-term absentees while Maren Mjelde also remains out and fellow defender Millie Bright is back in training but has not played since November. There is also a doubt over Lauren James, who missed the Wednesday defeat of Aston Villa that took Chelsea back to the league lead. That increases the importance of forward Mayra Ramírez, who joined in January from Levante but never scored against Barcelona for either that club or Sporting de Huelva.

Key to Chelsea's European progress this season has been their away form, the impressive group victories at Häcken and Paris FC topped by the 3-0 quarter-final first-leg win at Ajax, who had previously beaten Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern and Roma at Johan Cruijff ArenA.

Form guide

Barcelona
Last six games: WWWWWW
Last match: Barcelona 5-1 Villarreal, 13/04, league
Where they stand: 1st in Liga F, Copa de la Reina final

Chelsea
Last six games: WLLDWW
Last match: Chelsea 3-0 Aston Villa, 17/04, league
Where they stand: 1st in FA Women's Super League

Starting line-ups

Barcelona: Cata Coll; Batlle, Paredes, Engen, Rolfö; Bonmatí, Walsh, Guijarro; Graham Hansen, Paralluelo, Caldentey

Chelsea: Hampton; Lawrence, Carter, Buchanan, Charles; Cuthbert, Leupolz; Rytting Kaneryd, James, Nüsken; Ramírez

View from the camps

Jonatan Giráldez, Barcelona coach: "[Chelsea] are a team with a lot of talent in attack, they have ways of hurting teams in one-on-one situations, attacking depth, shots from distance, good final balls, good crosses. One of the keys will be not to lose possession and control the transitions.

"We want to improve on the match against Madrid [at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys in November], we want to win on the pitch but also in the stands. I hope to be able to enjoy a magical day in Montjuïc."

Emma Hayes, Chelsea manager: "[Barcelona] are world class with unbelievable players. But I'm not thinking about fairy tales. They have been a top team in Europe in recent years. They are deserving of all the accolades they have achieved but it's a football match. There are two legs. All our job has been is to get ourselves in a position to get here in the competition.

"I think Barcelona's team will go down in history as one of the greatest women's teams ever. Barcelona is a generation that deserves the credit they get. They've done amazing things on the pitch. People don't realise how hard it is to play against them."

Patri Guijarro, Barcelona midfielder: "Experience will be important. We know how to control these nerves that can play tricks on you. Also overexcitement. Getting off to a good start will be key.

"We have faced Mayra [Ramírez] in Levante. She doesn't seem fast but she is powerful and holds the ball. Even though Kerr is not there, Mayra doesn't lower her level."

Erin Cuthbert, Chelsea midfielder: "Every game, for the past couple of months, has felt like a cup final. It's a must-win, every game. I love this part of the season, I thrive on this pressure of performing. It brings out a different side of me, a different animal, and I'm really excited to play against some of the best players in the world and show them what I can do as well."

Where is the 2024 UEFA Women's Champions League final being played?

San Mamés Stadium in Bilbao will stage the 2024 Women's Champions League final on Saturday 25 May at 18:00 CET.

The 50,000-plus capacity home of Bilbao's Athletic Club was built on the site of the old San Mamés, replacing the 100-year-old arena of the same name in 2013. Athletic Club women's team have played several games in the new stadium, attracting 48,121 fans for a 2019 cup tie against Atlético de Madrid, at the time a Spanish record.