UEFA Women's Champions League: players to watch on Matchday 6

A number of the game's biggest established stars as well as several freshly-minted talents have been show in the new UEFA Women's Champions League group stage.

This week we focus on individuals who could be key in the two crucial games where teams go head to head for the last quarter-final slots.

Jill Roord (Wolfsburg)

Wolfsburg probably need to win, and quite possibly by more than one goal, against Chelsea to make it ten UEFA Women's Champions League out of ten in their decade in the competition that they have reached at least the last eight. However, Chelsea's 0-0 home draw against Juventus was their eighth competitive clean sheet in a row, prior to Saturday's 1-0 loss at Reading, and the only team in more than three months to score more than once versus the Blues were Wolfsburg themselves in the 3-3 Matchday 1 draw in London.

The Wolves' task is made no easier by the long-term absence of key attackers Ewa Pajor and Alex Popp, not to mention a fresh injury doubt about Svenja Huth, who caused Chelsea so many headaches both in October and in their two March quarter-final meetings in Budapest. So the key creator looks like being Roord, who has been superb since her summer move from Arsenal, regularly scoring including away to Chelsea, and proving key in Tommy Stroot's new-look attack, a crucial foil for group-stage top scorer Tabea Wassmuth.

Magdalena Eriksson (Chelsea)

Chelsea's defence, who even a pre-Christmas Ebeneezer Scrooge would consider a tad parsimonious, could only perform so consistently with astute leadership, especially as Emma Hayes has mixed things up by switching between four and three at the back. And in captain Eriksson they have such a commander.

The Swedish centre-back, usually in tandem with Millie Bright, has mastered most defensive arts, as well as being comfortable in possession and distribution, and an organiser and cajoler worthy of the armband. Roord and Co will have some job getting past Eriksson's defence more than once this time around.

Nicole Billa (Hoffenheim)

Hoffenheim's task at home to London opposition is even more daunting than Wolfsburg's; the European debutants must beat former champions Arsenal by five goals or more. Since not even Barcelona, who twice have overwhelmed the Gunners, only managed four in those matches, success for Hoffenheim would count as one of the most impressive in any Matchday 6 crunch game in UEFA competition.

If anyone can get them close, it is Austria forward Billa. Her two penalties away to HB Køge on Thursday ensured the 2-1 away win that kept Hoffenheim at least in contention, and more than 50 goals over the last two-and-a-half seasons have been crucial to raising her club from a mid-table Frauen Bundesliga outfit to this group stage.

Kim Little (Arsenal)

It would not be in the nature of Jonas Eidevall's Arsenal to approach the Hoffenheim trip with caution, even if the heavy losses to Chelsea at Wembley in the FA Women's Cup final and Barcelona at the Gunners' men's stadium on Matchday 5, within the space of a few days, have rather spoiled what was otherwise an impressive first half-season in charge for the Swedish coach. But Arsenal will still need experience at their heart and captain Little provides just that.

Operating these days from central midfield but also a deadly attacker inside the top ten all-time for goals scored in this competition, Little was able to keep on probing against both Chelsea and Barcelona even at points when the defeats looked like they might be much worse than 3-0 and 4-0 respectively. She also vowed that Arsenal would use those losses to improve for the tests ahead like Wednesday's: “I think it can be incredibly helpful, it really allows you to see where the level is at and where we need to aim for."