Blaugranas and ‘citizen’ play for the leadership of the group in a direct duel
BARCELONA, 17 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Barça Femení receives Manchester City this Wednesday at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys (6:45 p.m.), on the sixth and final day of Group D of the Women’s Champions League, in a direct duel for the leadership of the group and in a kind of final anticipated between two contenders for the title, with the blaugranas, current champions, willing to win and recover the ‘average’.
The 2-0 defeat on the first day at City’s Academy was an unexpected ‘surprise’. But Barça, since then, has had four victories with a scoring record of 23-1 in its favor and comes to this final matchday ready to beat City and take the lead in the group.
Both Barça and City are qualified for the quarter-finals, so that pressure will be non-existent. But, with that leadership at stake and that moral pulse to be the best it is at stake. And Pere Romeu’s team, current champions of the competition, want to go to the playoffs as seeds and not give up a step back.
Without a doubt, a great duel that could well be the final and that deserved to go to the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, a venue where more than 35,000 spectators are expected. The fans can be a key factor for the Blaugranas who want to turn the page on that defeat at the beginning of the season and strengthen their candidacy to retain the title.
With just over 90 minutes of play left in this Group D, City is undefeated with 5 wins in 5 games, with 11 goals in their favor and 3 against. Gareth Taylor’s side are undefeated, and Barça knows that their objective is to end this condition. A Barça that has better numbers and records, but 3 points less and with that 2-0 against that must ‘come back’.
In the first round, goals from defender Naomi Layzell in the 36th minute and from forward Khadija Shaw in the 77th minute then surprised a Barça Femení in construction, opening this stage with Pere Romeu on the bench and with absences. Some casualties that could also be important this Wednesday.
The ‘citizen’ arrive, in principle, with the absences of Vivianne Miedema, Lauren Hemp, Khadija Shaw and Alex Greenwood. And in the absence of knowing Romeu’s call-up, which gave no clues, Caroline Graham Hansen and captain Alexia Putellas are doubtful. There could be both, just one or none of them. And the panorama of the match, obviously, will change depending on the scenario that the Blaugrana team has in terms of available players.
Whatever it may be, Barça’s objective is clear; the leadership. “The team wants to play games like this, the team likes these scenarios and the team is going to go out and bite from minute 1. We hope to have the optimal motivation to face this game,” Romeu said in a previous press conference, already from Montjuïc, scene of a match with the air of a final.
TECHNICAL SHEET.
–POSIBLE ALIGNMENTS.
BARZA FEMENÍ: Cata Coll; Batlle, Paredes, Mapi León, Rolfö; Patri Guijarro, Aitana Bonmati, Vicky Lopez; Brugts, Pajor y Pina.
MANCHESTER CITY: Yamashita; Casparij, Allana Kennedy, Laia Aleixandri, Leila Ouahabi; Jill Roord, Yui Hasewaga, Laura Coombs; Fujino, Mary Fowler y Jess Park.
–REFEREE: Jelena Cvetkovic (SRB).
— STADIUM: Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium.