Women's Champions League Matchday 2 preview

Uefa Women's Champions League action continues on Wednesday and Thursday with the second set of league phase games.

This is the second of the six matchdays, following the openers last Tuesday and Wednesday, with the top four teams progressing directly to the quarter-finals and the sides finishing between fifth and 12th advancing to February's knockout phase play-offs, where they will compete to complete the last-eight line-up.

Here we preview the action, with former winners Barcelona, OL Lyonnes and Wolfsburg looking to build on excellent starts while holders Arsenal and Bayern München are among those seeking to respond to opening setbacks.

Wednesday

OL Lyonnes v St. Pölten (6.45pm)

OL won 2-1 at holders Arsenal, Melchie Dumornay striking twice in a swift first-half comeback to continue their impressive start under new coach Jonatan Giráldez. So a formidable task for St. Pölten, who were beaten 6-0 at home by Atleti on Matchday 1.

Two seasons ago in the group stage the perennial Austrian champions lost 2-0 away at OL Stadium on a day when the home side had 35 efforts on goal, the return ending 7-0.

Vålerenga v Wolfsburg (6.45)

Vålerenga, who made their group stage debut last year, opened with a 1-0 loss at Manchester United in which they were largely on the defensive. However, the visit of a German side to Oslo could evoke their maiden group point last November, when Elise Thorsnes scored an 88th-minute equaliser to hold Bayern 1-1.

Wolfsburg will travel to Norway full of confidence, however, after defeating PSG 4-0, Alex Popp getting her 40th Uefa club competition goal to enter the top ten all-time as the twice champions and six-time finalists underlined that they remain a force to be reckoned with, though on Saturday suffered a 3-1 league defeat at home to Bayern.

Roma v Barcelona (9pm)

After falling to a 6-2 defeat at Real Madrid, Roma are now tasked with facing a Barcelona side who were in irresistible form on Matchday 1 as they defeated Bayern 7-1. Roma twice equalised in the first half at Madrid but still went in 3-2 down before the game got away from them in the second period.

Barcelona were even more prolific than their Spanish rivals, Alexia Putellas leading an attacking display outstanding even by their standards. These clubs met in the 2022/23 quarter-finals, Barcelona winning 1-0 in Rome before a 5-1 victory in the return on their way to the second of their three titles.

Chelsea v Paris FC (9pm)

Chelsea had to come from behind to draw 1-1 at Twente on Wednesday and will look to get back to European winning ways at Stamford Bridge against a team they beat 4-1 at home, Sam Kerr scoring a hat-trick, and 4-0 away in the 2023/24 group stage.

Paris let slip a two-goal half-time lead as they were held 2-2 by debutants OH Leuven, despite an assist and goal by Ballon d'Or nominee Clara Matéo. The game brings together Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor and Paris boss Sandrine Soubeyrand, long time rivals as coaches and players in France but also squad-mates for many years with the national team.

OH Leuven v Twente (9pm)

OHL, the first Belgian side to reach the league phase/group stage, made a promising debut as they recovered from a two-goal half-time deficit to draw 2-2 at Paris FC. This encounter with Twente brings back memories of their participation in the cross-border BeNe League, when the Enschede club gained four wins against the Leuven outfit in 2013/14 and 2014/15.

Twente also gained an impressive point on Wednesday, drawing 1-1 against Chelsea and even leading for eight minutes through Van Ginkel. The Player of the Match was Jill Roord, adding her experience to Twente's young squad since her summer return after eight years away.

Thursday

Atleti v Manchester United (6.45pm)

Atleti were quarter-finalists in 2019/20 but did not make their group stage/league phase debut until this season. They made a spectacular start as they won 6-0 at St. Pölten in which they were three up within 22 minutes.

Manchester United also won on their league phase debut on Wednesday, defeating Vålerenga 1-0 with a Maya Le Tissier penalty in a dominant performance hailed as a special night by Player of the Match Ella Toone. Atleti defender Vilde Bøe Risa joined from United in 2023.

Bayern München v Juventus (9pm)

Bayern's 7-1 reverse at Barcelona was their first competitive defeat since the Champions League quarter-final losses to OL in March, but their fourth in a row in Europe since the 4-0 win against Juventus in December. They had also prevailed 2-0 in Italy two months before, while on Saturday Bayern had the boost of a 3-1 league win at Wolfsburg.

Juventus produced a 2-1 comeback win against Benfica on Matchday 1 courtesy of a double from defender Cecilia Salvai, who had never previously scored in Europe. Last season Juve's opening group win was followed by the home loss to Bayern and this time they are up against their former midfielder Arianna Caruso, who left Turin for Munich in February, initially on loan then permanently in the summer.

Paris Saint-Germain v Real Madrid (9pm)

A 4-0 defeat at Wolfsburg was not the start PSG were looking for especially having missed out on the group stage last season and lost key players in the summer. Madrid put on one of their finest European displays in their 6-2 defeat of Roma, Linda Caicedo, Caroline Weir and Alba Redondo all especially impressive.

They will now be taking on a player who made nearly 200 appearances for Madrid, Olga Carmona ending a five-year spell at the club in the summer to join PSG. Signe Bruun is also visiting her former club after leaving Paris in 2021; she scored a Women's Champions League quarter-final winner the summer before against Arsenal and came to the Spanish capital two years later.

Benfica v Arsenal (9pm)

Benfica scored first at Juventus through Lucia Alves but went on to lose 2-1. Still, the Eagles' home results were the key to their quarter-final run two seasons ago, beating Rosengård and Eintracht Frankfurt before holding Barcelona 4-4, so they need not fear the visit of the holders to Estádio do SL Benfica.

Arsenal have made a mixed start to their domestic season and that continued as they began their European title defence with a 2-1 home loss to OL Lyonnes. Of course, recovering from defeats was Arsenal's speciality in their title run, not least the 5-2 reverse at Bayern on Matchday 1 of the group stage as well as losses in the first legs of all three of their home-and-away knockout ties.