By Callum Lindsay

Tonight sees the start of the 2023/24 edition of the UEFA Women’s Champions League as Swedish side FC Rosengard take on Eintracht Frankfurt with seven more matches to be played out this week. Many will be tipping Barcelona or Lyon to add another one of these illustrious trophies to their cabinet, but getting off to a fast start could be crucial for any team looking towards booking a place at the UWCL Final in Bilbao.

Group A

Barcelona, Benfica, FC Rosengard, Eintracht Frankfurt.

Group A is almost identical to Group D from last season’s competition as Barcelona, Benfica and Rosengard meet once again. New-comers, Eintracht Frankfurt replace their German counterpart Bayern Munich as the final team to make up the group.

Barcelona are the clear favourites to top Group A. The reigning champions and La Liga holders have become a powerhouse within the world of women’s football. Their squad boasts two Ballon D’or winners in Alexia Putellas and Aitana Bonmati, combining these talents with some more of the finest international players – the Blaugrana seem a cut above the rest of their Group A rivals.

Benfica earned their right to battle with the best in the UWCL through a tough qualifying route. Their impressive journey included wins over Cliftonhill, SFK Riga and Apollon. The Portuguese giants fell short in last season’s group stage but this time there is no Bayern Munich to stand in their way of their pursuit of that second place spot. With this in mind, they will have to bring their A-game against Eintracht Frankfurt as these fixtures could prove vital in booking a place in the last eight.

The Swedish champions, FC Rosengard finished bottom in this group last year without picking up a point. They are also at a unique disadvantage to the rest of their Group A peers as their league campaign in the Damallsvenskan came to an end at the weekend. It would be a real surprise if the side from Malmo managed to avoid a similar fate this time round.

Some fans may know Eintracht Frankfurt as 1. FFC Frankfurt, the once record holders for most UWCL (since been overtaken by Lyon). But after 1. FFC Frankfurt and Eintracht Frankfurt merged in 2020, the German side started fresh – so this competition marks the start of a new era for them. Similar to Benfica, the side will be aiming to pick up maximum points in their fixtures on December 13 and December 21 in hopes of booking a quarter-finals place behind the Catalans.

Player to watch: Aitana Bonmati

Bonmati is this year’s Ballon D’or winner and is a key component in the Barcelona midfield. The 25 year-old is the heartbeat of the reigning champions and orchestrates games from the centre of the park.

Prediction

1. Barcelona
2. Eintracht Frankfurt
3. Benfica
4. FC Rosengard

Group B

Lyon, Slavia Prague, St Polten, SK Brann

When compared to Group A, this group definitely holds less entertainment value for the neutral but with Slavia Prague, St Polten and SK Brann all champions of their respective league, they have earned the right to dine at this table. Record holders, Lyon are definite favourites to lead this group thanks to their squad depth and experience in this competition.

Similar to Barcelona, Lyon boast a Ballon D’or winner in Norwegian forward Ada Hegerberg, the tournament’s all-time record scorer. This level of talent accompanied by recent Ballon D’or nominees Kadidiatou Diani and Wendie Renard will no doubt be too much for the rest of Group B to handle. Lyon are expected to win this group with ease and can not be written off when considering who will win this year’s edition of the UWCL.

Slavia Prague and St Polten will lock horns again as they did in the group stage last year. There was almost nothing separating the sides. Both teams shared a goal each in Austria but St Polton did manage to get the better of Slavia Prague in the return game – thanks to Maria Mikolajova’s 91st minute winner. Both sides will be giving it all once again this time around, as the battle for 2nd place could lead to some intense fixtures.

SK Brann will be making their debut in the UWCL group stage tonight as they take on St Polten. They overcame Glasgow City with a 6-0 aggregate result in the qualification stages and will be looking to make a dent on Group B as they embark on their European journey.

Player to watch: Eugenie Le Sommer

Lyon are in fine form at the moment with eight consecutive wins. Although Le Sommer may be older than Diani or Hegerberg, she’s not let that slow her down. The experienced forward has helped OL through some tricky fixtures with two crucial goals against PSG, one being in the Trophee des Championnes Final.

Prediction

1. Lyon
2. Slavia Prague
3. St Polton
4. SK Brann

Group C

Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, AS Roma, AFC Ajax

Prepare the popcorn, Group C is a must-watch. The group is full of great teams, exciting football and a load of first time meetings.

AS Roma, Bayern Munich and PSG are all great teams in their own right, fixtures including these three clubs are likely to produce some interesting results. Not to rule Ajax out but the Amsterdam club can find themselves hard done by to be drawn against three teams of this calibre.

Roma are currently flying in the Italian league with seven wins out of a possible seven. Group rivals Bayern Munich also find themselves top of the Frauen-Bundesliga but have already dropped points to Frankfurt and Hoffenheim in their first seven games. The relentless attacking football of Alessandro Spugna’s should give Le Giallorosse the edge over the German giants as they look to earn the top spot in Group C.

Although PSG have a good record against Bayern Munich, knocking them out of both the 2017 and 2022 edition of the competition, the Parisians can’t find a rhythm at the moment and look less likely out of the two to secure the second spot needed for qualification to the knockout stages.

Player to watch: Sam Kerr

No, not that one. Scottish midfielder, Sam Kerr joined Bayern Munich from Rangers in the summer after an impressive spell at the Glasgow club. The holding midfielder is yet to fully break into the Bavarian midfield but will no doubt form an assured partnership with Georgia Stanway as time passes.

Prediction

1. AS Roma
2. Bayern Munich
3. PSG
4. Ajax

Group D

Chelsea, Real Madrid, Paris FC, BK Hacken

Similar to Group A and B; there is one clear favourite to finish top of this group. Despite recently announcing that this will be here last UWCL campaign as Chelsea boss, Emma Hayes and the London club are expected to make easy work of this group. But the second spot behind Chelsea is well and truly up for grabs.

Paris FC made it to the group stage of this year’s competition thanks to a shock victory over last season’s runners-up Wolfsburg in the second qualifying round. Swedish side BK Hacken are unlikely to challenge, just like Damallsvensken mates FC Rosenborg – Hacken’s season ended at the weekend. They also lost coach Robert Vilahamn to Spurs so are expected to find themselves at the basement of Group D.

Real Madrid are suffering from the set-back of La Liga POTY Caroline Weir’s long-term injury but should still have what it takes to get the better of Paris FC and secure a place in the knockouts.

Player to watch: Sjoeke Nusken

Nusken joined the blues from Frankfurt in the Summer and has since cemented her place in the Chelsea side. The German talent bagged a hat-trick against Brighton in October and has helped Emma Hayes’ side earn their place at the top of the WSL.

Prediction

1. Chelsea
2. Real Madrid
3. Paris FC
4. BK Hacken