MADRID, 17 Ago. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Women’s Real Madrid make their debut this Thursday in the 22/23 Women’s Champions League with the ‘little group’ from the first qualifying round, where they will try to go through phases and, for now, beat Sturm Graz and the rival that may leave the duel between Manchester City and Tomiris-Turan.
As a final four, at the Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium, Real Madrid will be the host and the clear favorite to be able to go through to round 2 of this preliminary phase, which will give access to the group phase where they are already waiting, among others, for FC Barcelona Women.
For now, to match the Catalans, Real Madrid will have to go step by step in this league route. Their first stumbling block, an Austrian Sturm Graz that should not be a rival for the Spanish.
It will be different, yes, if they win and they have to do with the English Manchester City, clear favorite in their duel against the Kazakh Tomiris-Turan. In addition, the ‘citizen’ will want revenge, since last year, in the previous round 2, white dropped them from the ‘Champions’.
Real Madrid reached the quarterfinals last year, when they lost to Barça Femení in some historic duels, especially the one at the Camp Nou for breaking the attendance record for a women’s game at the time.
This European duel will be the debut, presumably, of Scottish midfielder Caroline Weir, French striker Naomie Feller, French midfielder Sandie Toletti and Brazilian defender Kathellen Sousa, the signings of the team coached by Alberto Toril.
If the whites get through this round 1, teams like Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Sparta Prague, Häcken and Real Sociedad, who are in their first season in the ‘Champions’, await in round 2.
Precisely, Real Madrid beat Sparta Prague (0-1) in the last game of a closed preseason with four wins in two games, against Slavia Prague (0-2), Real Sociedad (0-3) and Osasuna ( 1-3). So he would have beaten two possible rivals this summer. Although, first, he must stick to beating Sturm Graz and, barring any surprises, City.