Oshoala’s Barcelona Chase First Women’s Champions League Title

May 15, 2021 10:50 am

Asisat Oshoala and her Barcelona Ladies teammates will look to win the UEFA Women’s Champions League for the first time when they come up against Chelsea in Gothenburg on Sunday, reports Completesports.com.

The Blaugrana lost 4-1 to Paris Saint-Germain in the final two years ago with Oshoala netting their only goal of the game.

They will hope for better luck this time around against a strong Chelsea side, who are also chasing their first Champions League title.

Oshoala, who has battled with injuries in recent weeks has been named in Barcelona’s squad for the game and is expected to start on the bench.

The two teams head into the game in boisterous mood after claiming the domestic titles in their countries last weekend.

Women's Champions League final: Meet the teams – Barcelona

Saturday 15 May 2021




What's their pedigree and how did they get here? A closer look at Barcelona.




Team

Possible XI: Paños; Torrejón, Guijarro, Mapi León, Ouahabi; Losada, Hamraoui, Putellas; Graham Hansen, Hermoso, Martens

Suspended: Andrea Pereira (central defender)

Injured: Andrea Falcón (forward/winger)

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Pedigree

UEFA club ranking: 2
Previous finals: 1 (2019, L1-4 vs Lyon)

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Route to the final

Qualified: Spanish champions
Round of 32: PSV Eindhoven 8-2agg
Round of 16: Fortuna Hjørring 9-0agg
Quarter-finals: Manchester City 4-2agg
Semi-finals: Paris Saint-Germain 3-2agg

Season top scorer: Jenni Hermoso (6)

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Why they can win it

Barcelona have reached at least the quarter-finals for the last five seasons and have been getting better every year. They did make the final in 2019 but were big outsiders against Lyon in Budapest and found themselves 4-0 down early on. Last season by contrast Barcelona were unfortunate to lose 1-0 to Wolfsburg in the semis and their performances against Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain this time round have given them the look of Lyon a decade ago before their first title: a team from a league yet to taste victory in this competition but seeming to have all ingredients in place with the best of national talent topped up by astute foreign signings.



Since that loss to Wolfsburg in August, Barcelona have won 35, drawn two and lost one of 38 competitive games, scoring 166 goals and conceding 13. The one defeat other than on penalties was 2-1 at City in the quarter-finals when Barcelona were already 3-0 up from the first leg; they are now a team that can consider themselves underdogs to nobody. They underlined that last Sunday by wrapping up a record sixth Spanish title with eight games to spare, having won all 26 league fixtures so far.


Campaign so far

Newcomers PSV Eindhoven and old campaigners Fortuna Hjørring were both blown away with ease, Barcelona scoring at least four in each leg. Even more impressive was the quarter-final against City; the home leg was moved to Monza but Barcelona's momentum was not slowed, Asisat Oshoala inspiring a brilliant 3-0 victory and also scoring in the return to dash City's hopes of a comeback.

Barcelona had twice previously been knocked out by Paris, who hosted the semi-final first leg just a week after they had ended Lyon's five-year reign as champions. Jenni Hermoso got her sixth of the campaign early on and although Alana Cook equalised, the 1-1 draw seemed to give Barcelona the edge. And so it proved back at Estadi Johan Cruyff as two Lieke Martens goals set them on their way; even after Paris pulled one back, Barcelona looked the more likely to score.


Talking tactics

Since adding Hermoso and Caroline Graham Hansen in summer 2019, Lluís Cortés has had a stable squad who line up in a well-drilled 4-3-3. The mobile Hermoso (55) and athletic Oshoala (47) have 102 goals between them in the last two seasons but often only one starts, especially with the Nigerian suffering recent injury problems. Graham Hansen, Martens and Mariona Caldentey provide options in the wide positions while Alexia Putellas is also a prolific source of goals, usually from midfield, and often goes in advance of the regular attackers as Cortés deploys 'False 9' tactics.

Putellas is usually on the left, with Aitana Bonmati the right-sided playmaker. Vicky Losada, Patri Guijarro and Kheira Hamraoui are central midfield options. At the back the normal central partnership will be broken up due to Andrea Pereira's suspension; the powerful Mapi León will have a new partner, possibly Guijarro. Full-backs Marta Torrejón and Leila Ouahabi are able to push forward when needed and Sandra Paños is a goalkeeper of the highest class.


The boss: Lluís Cortés

Cortés, who has degrees in PE ('Science of Physical Education and Sport') and PR ('Advertising and Public Relations') joined Barcelona in 2017 as an analyst. The former Lleida player became part of the women's coaching team, and then took charge in January 2019. He soon took them to their first European final and has barely tasted defeat since. The 34-year-old agreed another season-long contract extension last week.

He told UEFA.com: "I feel lucky and privileged to be the manager of this team and this group of fantastic players and wonderful people. I feel privileged to experience football, the sport we love, on a daily basis alongside so many great people, both on the staff and in the squad. I think we're like a family and there’s a very good vibe within the group. Everyone is very easy to work with each day."

Women's Champions League final: meet the teams – Chelsea


Saturday 15 May 2021


What's their pedigree and how did they get here? A closer look at Chelsea.




Team

Possible XI: Berger; Charles, Bright, Eriksson, Andersson; Leupolz, Ingle, Ji; Harder; Kirby, Kerr

Suspended: none

Injured: Maren Mjelde (right-back)

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Pedigree

UEFA club ranking: 7
Previous finals: 0

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Route to the final

Qualified: English champions
Round of 32: Benfica 8-0agg
Round of 16: Atlético 3-1agg
Quarter-finals: Wolfsburg 5-1agg
Semi-finals: Bayern München 5-3agg
Season top scorer: Fran Kirby (6)

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Why they can win it

No club have previously reached the finals of the women's and men's UEFA Champions League in the same season but Chelsea in recent years have invested in their female squad like their male selection, manager Emma Hayes saying: “It's one club. That’s just the DNA of this place – and it breeds winning."

To that end, in September they signed Pernille Harder days after she had lost a second UEFA Women's Champions League final with Wolfsburg; she was subsequently named UEFA Women's Player of the Year for an unprecedented second time. Joining an attack with Fran Kirby and another marquee 2020 signing, Sam Kerr, Chelsea have had the firepower, stability at the back, and squad depth to knock out three of last season's quarter-finalists and again come out on top in England's hugely-competitive top flight.


Campaign so far

Highly-rated debutants Benfica were blown away 5-0 away and 3-0 at home and then Atlético, highest ranked of the unseeded last-16 sides, were seen off. Despite Chelsea losing Sophie Ingle to an early first-leg red card the Blues prevailed, Ann-Katrin Berger saving two first-leg penalties and the Spanish side missing another in the return.

Both legs of the quarter-final against Wolfsburg were played in Budapest, against a club who had knocked Chelsea out in three of their four previous European campaigns. But Berger was brilliant in the first leg and, perhaps inevitably, Harder scored in both games, as did Kerr. Bayern inflicted a rare defeat on Chelsea in the semi-final first leg, though Melanie Leupolz got a freak away goal against her old club, and the Blues held their nerve back at Kingsmeadow thanks to late goals by Harder and Kirby, whose added-time clincher made her competition joint-top scorer on six.



Talking tactics

In big games this season, Hayes has deployed Kerr and Kirby as a front two and between them in 2021 they have combined for 30 goals in the 19 games they have started together, a large number assisted by each other. Harder plays in support with Ingle holding the midfield flanked usually by Ji So-yun and Melanie Leupolz, though Erin Cuthbert and Guro Reiten are strong alternatives.

Captain Magdalena Eriksson and Millie Bright keep it tight in central defence, with Jonna Andersson usually at left-back and Jess Carter on the right with Maren Mjelde injured, though converted forward Niamh Charles can cover either full-back position. Berger has been superb in goal all season.


The boss: Emma Hayes

Hayes was appointed in 2012 and has won ten trophies in that time, most recently another league title last Sunday. She was on the coaching team the only other time an English club has reached this final when Vic Akers led Arsenal to 2006/07 UEFA Women's Cup victory, and subsequently worked in the United States before her Chelsea appointment.

She told UEFA.com: "We never feel like the game is over, and we always feel, regardless of the scoreline, that we've got a chance. That doesn't come around often in teams, that takes a while to build. This team has the making of champions, and I think deservedly we're in the final because we've been able to do exactly what we needed to in the right times."

naptu2:
Barcelona have taken their full squad to Gothenburg, including Asisat Oshoala and Andrea Falcon who are injured and Andrea Pereira who is suspended.


Asisat Oshoala had only just returned from injury when she became injured again. It is uncertain if she will be able to play in the final. This was the state of her foot as at May 3rd

Bigredmachine:
I stand with Barcelona on this one... E get why

paulolee:

I de ur back...I understand why