Women's Champions League Matchday 6 Wednesday preview

The eight teams through to the UEFA Women's Champions League quarter-final draw on 7 February are decided, but when Groups C and D end on Wednesday, first place, and quarter-final seeding, is up for grabs in two head-to-head deciders.

We preview the action.

Group C

Arsenal vs Bayern

When Bayern beat Arsenal 5-2 on Matchday 1 with a Pernille Harder hat-trick, the Gunners might have had their focus just on getting through. But the following week, with Renée Slegers newly in interim charge, Arsenal beat Vålerenga 4-1 and two victories against Juventus took the 2006/07 champions through even before last Thursday's 3-1 victory in Oslo.

And as Bayern, also through, were themselves held at Vålerenga, the one-point gap means any Arsenal victory against the German champions at Meadow Park, scene of so many memorable European triumphs over the last two decades, would ensure the London side overtake their visitors to claim quarter-final seeding. The last-gasp draw in Norway was a sole slip for Bayern in this group, however, with a steady stream of goals including a competition-leading six for Harder, for several years a domestic rival of Arsenal with Chelsea.

Juventus vs Vålerenga

In contrast to Arsenal, Juventus won on Matchday 1, 1-0 at Vålerenga, but have then suffered four defeats without scoring as Bayern and the Gunners streaked away. So a European season that began so promisingly with home and away wins against Paris Saint-Germain in round 2 will end with them attempting to hold on to third place, their 2021/22 quarter-final run where they pipped Chelsea in their group remaining Juve's only last-eight appearance.

Vålerenga, in the group stage for the first time, have only the sole point against Bayern but it has still been a superb 2024 for the Norwegian side, their convincing domestic double added to their best-ever Champions League run. "We have one more chance to win a game in the Champions League and we will try to get that win at Juventus," coach Nils Lexerød told UEFA.com.

Group D

Barcelona vs Manchester City

Another group decider but unlike Madrid and Arsenal, Barcelona require a two-goal victory at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys to pip Manchester City, who defeated the defending champions 2-0 on Matchday 1 and have not dropped a point on their debut in the group stage (though they reached two semi-finals in the old format). Since the loss in Manchester, Barcelona have scored more than 50 goals with Ewa Pajor especially prolific, and if they can overhaul City they will stand out as the only side to top their group in all four seasons in this format.

The visitors will have other ideas, though, but are having to deal with a growing absentee list that already contained the likes of Vivianne Miedema and Lauren Hemp before Khadija Shaw (who if anything was in more prolific form than Pajor) and Alex Greenwood were injured respectively before and during Thursday's 2-0 defeat of St. Pölten that kept City perfect and three points ahead of Barcelona. However, younger players like Aoba Fujino, Laura Blindkilde Brown and Lily Murphy have been proving their own worth in this European campaign.

St. Pölten vs Hammarby

Hammarby, who in their debut European tie knocked out 2023/24 quarter-finalists Benfica to reach the group stage, started by defeating St. Pölten 2-0 but found City and Barcelona challenges too far, though both those home games attracted crowds of over 20,000.

St. Pölten are in their third group campaign and while all five of their previous points came against Slavia Praha, this is their last chance to get off the mark this time and leave a happy memory at their adopted European home this season, Vienna's Viola Park.