UEFA Women's Champions League: Players to watch on Matchday 2

The second set of UEFA Women's Champions League group games arrives hot on the heels of the first and we highlight four players looking to repeat fine opening displays.

Millie Bright (Chelsea)

Bright's evolution into an all-round, technically assured defender comfortable with popping up in attack, while maintaining the physicality which first caught the eye, has made her indispensable for both Chelsea and England. That was underlined by her performance in the Blues' opening 1-0 win at Paris Saint-Germain, where Bright not only kept a clean sheet but also volleyed the only goal.

Vllaznia on Wednesday will present a different challenge, but Chelsea will want to overcome any nerves from their mixed experiences at home in last season's group stage. Bright's experience and poise should help with that, and if she finds the target again, she will make a little bit of personal history as all three of her European goals so far, including Thursday's in Paris, have come in Chelsea's opening games of a Champions League season.

Julia Grosso (Juventus)

Grosso was still only 20 when the midfielder converted the penalty that won Canada 2021 Olympic gold. At the start of this year, she arrived at Juventus from the University of Texas and quickly proved an astute signing, her short-term deal now transformed into a contract until 2024.

Her quiet efficiency has earned many plaudits, not least in the 2-0 victory at Zürich that kicked off Juve's bid. Grosso's technical proficiency will be called upon when Lyon visit on Thursday, with Juventus hoping to repeat the 2-1 home win in the first leg of their quarter-final in March in which the Canadian made her UEFA competition debut.

Emilie Haavi (Roma)

Roma were finding a breakthrough hard to come by when the European debutants took on Slavia Praha last week, but just past the hour Haavi set off on a run down the right and chipped the ball towards goal. Although Valentina Giacinti touched the ball over the line, Haavi took the plaudits, having previously scored away and home against Sparta Praha in round 2 to book Roma's group spot.

The experienced Norway winger, who has spent almost her entire career in her homeland, came to Roma at the start of 2022, and her flair and nous will be vital if they are to reach the quarter-finals at the first time of asking. Victory at St. Pölten on Wednesday would take them a long way towards that goal, especially as a double-header with Wolfsburg looms when the fixtures resume in November.

Olivia Schough (Rosengård)

Rosengård began with a narrow 2-1 loss at Bayern, and it gets no easier on Thursday when Barcelona come to Malmö. Schough, who previously had a spell at Bayern in 2014, gave her former club plenty to think about, not least when creating the opening goal for Loreta Kullashi.

Schough, who could well be up against her left-sided Sweden colleague Fridolina Rolfö, describes the prospect of taking on Barcelona as "fun and inspiring". A decade on from her European debut, when Göteborg (now Häcken) defeated Arsenal 1-0 in a quarter-final second leg, Schough will have a key role to play as a Swedish team once again seek to prove they remain a force.