Women's Champions League League Phase Opens Tuesday With Barcelona Roster Overhauled
The Guardian
The short version
- Women's Champions League league phase begins Tuesday.
- Barcelona are holders with four titles in six years and six straight finals.
- Four starters from last season's final left: Batlle to Arsenal, Paralluelo to OL Lyonnes, Putellas and León to London City Lionesses.
- Paralluelo scored twice in Barcelona's 4-0 final win over OL Lyonnes in May.
The European holders enter the new campaign with a rebuilt squad after four starters from last season's final departed the club.
The league phase of the Women's Champions League season gets underway Tuesday, and this year's edition arrives with an unusually level playing field at the top.
Much of that stems from a turbulent summer at Barcelona, the defending champions and winners of four European titles over the past six seasons. The Spanish club, which has appeared in six consecutive finals in the competition, watched four players from the starting lineup of last season's title-winning final move on.
Ona Batlle departed for Arsenal, while Salma Paralluelo joined OL Lyonnes, the same side she scored twice against in Barcelona's 4-0 final win in May. Alexia Putellas and Mapi León both signed with London City Lionesses.
The reshaped squad presents a different profile from the dominant side that lifted the trophy in Oslo, and several challengers, including an English trio and OL Lyonnes, will believe the champions can be caught.
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Written by the Matchday Live desk from reporting by The Guardian.
Read the original report at The Guardian ↗