UEFA Women's Champions League: Players to watch on Matchday 4

The UEFA Women's Champions League group stage continues on Wednesday and Thursday with Matchday 4.

We look at four players looking to boost their teams' chances as the groups reach the business end.

Aoba Fujino (Manchester City)

Man City are not lacking for big-name attacking power, even in Vivianne Miedema's injury absence. But in their perfect Champions League campaign so far it has been the emerging talents as much as the established stars who have made the difference. On Matchday 2, when City surprisingly were trailing St. Pölten 2-1 in Vienna, Fujino was in place to volley an equaliser as they went on to win 3-2, and then last Wednesday her diving header clinched a hard-fought 2-0 defeat of Hammarby.

The 20-year-old joined City from Tokyo Verdy Beleza in the summer, having starred in Japan's run to the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup final, and the following year became her country's youngest scorer in a senior World Cup, male or female. Twice as a teenager she was named the Japanese WE League's MVP of the season, her technical skills and finishing ability added to endeavour and energy.

Manuela Giugliano (Roma)

Roma's perfect Group A start came to an emphatic end with Wednesday's 3-0 home defeat by Lyon and they now travel to France looking for a result to keep them clear of their Matchday 5 hosts Wolfsburg. The Italian champions will be looking to their experienced core to try and turn the tide against Lyon, and captain Giugliano will be at the heart of that effort.

Giugliano's European debut came ten years ago aged 17 for ASD Torres, and she also represented Verona and Brescia in the Champions League before her 2019 move from AC Milan to Roma, where she has been part of all three of their campaigns in this competition. She converted a penalty for the only goal of the Matchday 1 win against Wolfsburg and also scored in the victory at Galatasaray, taking her tally in Europe for Roma into double figures. Skillful, reliable in front of goal and an astute leader, Giugliano this year became the first Italian to be among the Women's Ballon d'Or nominees.

Karina Sævik (Vålerenga)

Vålerenga are yet to get off the mark in their group-stage debut after suffering a 3-0 Matchday 3 defeat at Bayern München. Still, it has been a memorable 2024 for the club as they not only got past Champions League qualifying for the first time but also comfortably defended their Norwegian title, with Sævik's goals crucial.

She got goals in all three of Vålerenga's Champions League qualifiers while Sævik also finished as second-highest scorer in the Toppserien, behind Brann's Anna Aahjem. The former Paris Saint-Germain and Wolfsburg forward has been capped more than 50 times by Norway, and her signing in August 2022 has been a key factor in Vålerenga's new-found prominence, recently extending her contract until 2027.

Karina Sævik is a key player for Vålerenga in the Women's Champions LeagueGetty Images

Caroline Weir (Real Madrid)

Weir had a prolific first Madrid year in 2022/23 after joining from Man City, but her second campaign was cut short in September 2023 when an ACL injury on Scotland duty ended up ruling her out for 12 months. But the midfielder has quickly got back up to speed after her return for both her national team and Madrid, scoring two spectacular Champions League goals, one in the 4-0 win against Celtic and then a magnificent free-kick in the crucial 7-0 defeat of Twente, a game in which Weir had already provided two assists.

Another win at Twente on Wednesday could take Madrid through to their first quarter-final since Weir joined, and she clearly has lost none of her eye for a killer pass or stunning strike. Weir has said that after the first serious injury absence of her career she is thrilled to be playing again, and so well.