Will the Barca women cap off their dominant season?
60 centimeters high and weighing ten kilograms – these are the key facts about the trophy that will be awarded to Europe’s best women’s soccer team on Saturday evening. However, UEFA almost had to organize a copy of the cup at short notice, as the trophy was stolen from the Estadio Jose Alvalade a week before the Women’s Champions League final. However, the thieves were quickly caught and the trophy was returned unharmed. Regardless of which Arsenal vs. Barcelona women’s prediction comes true this weekend, nothing stands in the way of a trophy ceremony!
Incidentally, the women of FC Barcelona have the much better chances of winning the title. Alexia Putellas, Aidana and Co. have had such a dominant season so far, both nationally and internationally, that it would be a huge surprise if the Londoners were to deny them CL glory. In any case, in the run-up to the final in the premier class, there are few experts who dare to predict a victory for Arsenal over Barcelona Women.
Arsenal – Statistics & current form
The Arsenal Football Club women’s team actually had one foot out of the semi-finals. After a 1-2 home defeat against Champions League record winners Olympique Lyon, their chances of reaching the final were not particularly good. Thanks to an impressive performance in the second leg, which they won 4-1 (!), the English women now have the chance to claim the European crown in Lisbon on Saturday.
Since the most important continental club competition was renamed from the Women’s Cup to the UEFA Women’s Champions League, the semi-finals have been the highest a team from London has ever reached. This makes the anticipation for the upcoming final all the greater, although coach Renée Slegers’ charges will have to rise above themselves to have any realistic chance of success.
Arsenal’s hurrah football could reach its limits
In contrast to FC Barcelona, who lost only one competitive game in the Champions League this season, the Gunners came up short three times. They lost 5-2 to FC Bayern in the preliminary round, 2-0 to Real Madrid in the quarter-finals and 1-2 to Lyon in the aforementioned semi-final first leg. In total, the English women conceded a whopping 14 goals in ten competitive games, which could definitely be a problem against the outstanding FCB offense.
In general, there are many reasons to believe that betting on over goals will pay off on Saturday evening between Arsenal and Barcelona Women. One argument in favor of this is the approach of Slegers’ team, which is known for its very offensive and courageous style of play in the league. In the last Women’s Super League season in England, Arsenal finished second behind Chelsea, but scored the most goals and conceded by far the most goals of the top three teams. In ten consecutive WSL games, a bet on over 3.5 goals would have paid off, and in seven cases even over 5.5 (!) would have been successful.
Led by Alessia Russo and Spanish international Caldentey, the Londoners will once again look to strike luck in attack, but they also run the risk of being caught out on the counter. Incidentally, this is a special match for Mariona Caldentey, who scored seven goals in the Champions League season and is also her team’s second-highest scorer in the league. After all, the 29-year-old midfielder spent ten years at Barcelona and knows the club inside out.
Predicted line-up:
Van Domselaar – McCabe, Catley, Williamson, Fox – Caldentey, Little, Leonhardsen-Maanum – Kelly, Russo, Foord
Barcelona – Statistics & current form
The women of FC Barcelona have been the benchmark in European women’s soccer for many years. This weekend, the Catalans have the chance to secure their third consecutive Champions League title. Last season, Barca recorded a 2-0 victory over Olympique Lyon, and a year earlier, VfL Wolfsburg were defeated 3-2 in the final. Now, they are even on course to win their fourth CL trophy in the last five years.
I have no real doubts that coach Pere Romeu’s team will take the final step to defend their title. Instead, the question is how clear the victory against the underdogs from the Thames will be. For a handicap win with at least two goals difference, the Betano app is offering odds of 1.72 for the Arsenal vs. Barcelona Women’s match. Alternatively, you could go for the double result HT2/FT2.
FC Barcelona couldn’t be more dominant
Statistically, there are certainly enough reasons to bet on a clear victory for the favorites. If you exclude the surprising 0-2 defeat on the first matchday of the preliminary round against Manchester City, FCB Femení won the remaining nine games by at least three (!) goals. The star ensemble from Gaudí’s city was also ahead at half-time in all nine victories. After ten games in the Champions League, they have conceded only one goal in the first half.
Their total dominance is further underlined by a goal difference of 44-7 in the UEFA Women’s Champions League. In the Spanish league, they have won 28 of their 30 games with a goal difference of 128-16. The Londoners will have no answer to the attacking qualities of Ewa Pajor, Fridolina Rolfö, Salma Paralluelo and Caroline Graham.
However, in order to do justice to the aforementioned attacking power of the underdogs, a prediction of an FCB victory including a goal conceded could be considered for the Arsenal vs. Barcelona Women match. In their last four international encounters, the Spanish side have never come away with a clean sheet. Both semi-finals against Chelsea ended 4-1. In the quarter-finals, they beat VfL Wolfsburg 4-1 and 6-1. A Barca victory with both teams scoring goals is priced at 2.55 at Winamax, inviting you to take advantage of Winamax’s €110 free bets.
Predicted line-up:
Coll – Rolfö, Leon, Paredes, Batlle – Putellas, Guijarro, Aitana – Pina, Pajor, Graham
Arsenal – Barcelona Head-to-head record
There have been four meetings between the clubs in the Champions League so far. Arsenal won the first two duels in the 2012/13 season. However, there was a delayed rematch in 2021/22. Also in the group stage, Barca won the first leg 4-1 and the second leg 4-0. Now, for the first time, the two teams will face each other in a knockout match, with the balance of power having shifted even more clearly in favor of the Spanish side over the last three years.
Arsenal – Barcelona Women Prediction
Who will be crowned the best women’s soccer team in Europe on Saturday evening? There is much to suggest that FC Barcelona will cap off their dominant season with the Champions League title. For coach Romeu’s women, it would be their third consecutive CL triumph and a well-deserved reward for a record-breaking season. FCB Femení has won its last nine CL matches by at least three goals, always leading at halftime. In the league, they have scored a total of 128 goals, and in ten CL matches, they have scored 44. There seems to be no way to stop the star ensemble from Catalonia.
With Arsenal having to settle for second place in the domestic Super League and champions Chelsea losing 8-2 (!) to Barcelona in the semi-finals after 180 minutes, it would be an absolute sensation if Barca did not win the Champions League for the third time in a row on Saturday evening. In my opinion, there is virtually no alternative to betting on the Spanish women between Arsenal and Barcelona. I’m going for the double result HT2/FT2 at odds of 1.73 and betting six out of ten possible fictional units.
