Women’s CL begins with reinforced Barcelona going for third straight title

Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati

Barcelona will go for its third straight Women’s Champions League title with a squad boosted by Poland’s star striker Ewa Pajor and with Aitana Bonmatí and Alexia Putellas playing on new contracts.

The group stage of the European club competition begins Tuesday and the Catalans are trying to become only the second team after Lyon to win three titles in a row or reach five straight finals.

Barcelona beat Lyon in last season’s final, when Ballon d’Or winners Bonmatí and Putellas scored a goal each. Both had their contracts with the club extended ahead of the new season, and now they will have Pajor as a teammate.

Pajor, who joined from Wolfsburg, was the competition’s top scorer in 2022-23 as the German club reached a final that it lost to Barcelona despite a goal by her.

In her nine seasons with Wolfsburg, Pajor won 14 titles and scored 136 goals despite a series of injuries. She was not able to win a Champions League crown even though she played in three finals and was part of a run to another.

Barcelona has also added Kika Nazareth from Portuguese club Benfica.

The team’s first game in the competition this season will be on Wednesday against Group D rival Manchester City in a rematch of the 2020-21 quarterfinals, where the Spaniards triumphed after a 4-2 first-leg win and a 2-1 second-leg defeat in what was Barcelona’s only loss that campaign.

Barcelona’s squad also includes former City players Keira Walsh and Ellie Roebuck.

Lyon’s firepower takes on Galatasaray

It could prove a busy night today for Galatasaray’s defense and goalkeeper Gamze Yaman.

Group A opponent Lyon boasts the all-time top scorer in the Women’s Champions League, Ada Hegerberg, who has managed two 50-plus seasons for goals during her 10-year spell at the club.

The Norway striker, who won the first women’s Ballon d’Or award, has 64 competition goals, while teammate Eugénie Le Sommer, third on the all-time list, needs two to reach 50.

They form the spine of the team along with veteran captain Wendie Renard, the women’s Champions League record holder for appearances with 116.

Lyon has been in good scoring touch so far, netting 16 goals in its first three French league games, with American midfielder Lindsey Horan getting five and France striker Kadidiatou Diani scoring two.

French hopes rest on Lyon after Paris Saint-Germain — a semifinalist last season — was eliminated by Juventus in qualifying, losing 5-2 on aggregate.

Lyon is the competition’s record eight-time winner but last won the trophy in 2022. It was runner-up last season to Barcelona.

The club hired a new coach in June, with Australian Joseph Montemurro replacing Frenchwoman Sonia Bompastor, who joined Chelsea.

The contrast in experience between the sides is noticeable. Galatasaray’s team was founded in 2011 and the senior team only started in 2021.

As well as European success, Lyon’s women’s side has won a national record 17 league titles and 10 French Cups.

Galatasaray will be making its competition debut after a qualifying run that included triumphs over former quarterfinalist Slavia Praha.

It is the first Turkish team to get to the group stage. It won its first national title last season in only its third campaign.

Wolfsburg starts against Roma

Two-time champion Wolfsburg begins its Group A campaign today at Italian champion Roma, which drew with the German club on its last visit two years ago.

Both teams will want to make a good start with Lyon and Galatasaray the other teams in Group A.

Wolfsburg warmed up with a 5-0 rout of Leipzig in the Bundesliga on Friday, when Alexandra Popp set up three goals. The 33-year-old Popp announced her international retirement last week, meaning her focus is fully on leading Wolfsburg to more honors.

She is just two games away from becoming the second player to reach 100 Champions League appearances, after Wendie Renard.

Wolfsburg is unbeaten in five away meetings against Italian sides, but Roma is unbeaten in 14 home games in all competitions.

Chelsea without Hayes

Life after Emma Hayes has started well for Chelsea.

Hayes left to take over the United States women’s team in the offseason and carried on her winning ways by taking gold at the Paris Olympics.

After 14 major titles she left big shoes for her replacement Bompastor to fill, but it has been an impressive start for the former Lyon coach.

Chelsea opened its Super League campaign with a 1-0 win against Aston Villa and followed that by routing Crystal Palace 7-0.

First up for the Blues in Group B is a home game today with Real Madrid, which has made a perfect start in the Spanish league, winning five out of five to trail leader Barcelona on goal difference.

Bayern’s momentum

Arsenal, the 2007 winner, faces a tough opening Group C match on Wednesday at two-time defending German champion Bayern, which has made a seven-game winning start to the season, including a 1-0 victory over Wolfsburg in the German Supercup.

A 1-0 win over Cologne on Saturday stretched Bayern’s unbeaten run in the Bundesliga to 44 games.

Bayern and Arsenal met two seasons ago, when the Bavarian powerhouse won 1-0 in Munich but lost 2-0 in London.

Arsenal has been boosted by the arrivals of Mariona Caldentey from Barcelona and Rosa Kafaji from BK Häcken, as well as Netherlands goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar from Aston Villa.

The other teams in Group C are Vålerenga and Juventus. TALES AZZONI, MADRID, MDT/AP