Women's Champions League: Chelsea Pursues Historic Win Against Man City While Arsenal Faces Real Madrid

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The UEFA Women's Champions League quarter-finals are set to deliver thrilling matchups. England makes history with Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester City reaching the last eight in the same season. They face tough competition from Bayern Munich, Lyon, Real Madrid, Wolfsburg, and defending champions Barcelona. The stage is set for an exciting showdown as these top teams vie for European glory.

Chelsea is on the verge of a record-breaking unbeaten streak as they prepare to face Manchester City in their quarter-final first leg. With 31 games unbeaten, they aim to extend this run. Chelsea's manager Sonia Bompastor has a unique legacy in this tournament, having won it both as a player and coach. However, Chelsea has yet to claim the title under her leadership.

Real Madrid and Arsenal meet competitively for the first time, with Madrid hosting Tuesday's first leg. Both teams have records to address; Madrid seeks their first win against English sides after six unsuccessful attempts against Chelsea. Arsenal aims to end a three-game away winless streak in knockout stages since their 2019-20 victory over Slavia Prague.

Arsenal has reached the last eight for a record 16th time alongside Lyon. Under Renee Slegers' guidance, they've won five consecutive games, matching their longest winning streak from 2012-2013. Real Madrid poses a threat with Signe Bruun leading in goal involvements this season with eight contributions.

Lyon faces Bayern Munich with confidence, having won their last six knockout ties against German teams since 2013-14. They trailed only briefly during the group stage and conceded just one goal. Lyon's away record is impressive, losing only once in their last 43 knockout away games.

Bayern has lost two of three meetings with Lyon but won their latest encounter in the 2021-22 group stage. Pernille Harder is key for Bayern, scoring ten goals in her last six quarter-final appearances. Set-pieces will be crucial as Lyon leads with nine corner goals this season.

Wolfsburg vs Barcelona: A Rematch of Last Season's Final

Wolfsburg and Barcelona meet again after Barca's comeback win in the 2022-23 final. Wolfsburg has progressed past three of their last four quarter-final ties but faces a formidable opponent in Barcelona, who have advanced from their last 16 two-legged knockout ties since 2017-18.

Barcelona holds a strong chance of winning according to Opta's model at 58.5%. Both teams had more shots than any others in the group stage combined (299 attempts). Alexandra Popp leads Wolfsburg with 26 attempts this term while Ballon d'Or winner Aitana Bonmati shines for Barca.

Manchester City vs Chelsea: Domestic Rivals Clash

This marks the second meeting between Manchester City and Chelsea within 12 days across three competitions. Chelsea recently defeated City 2-1 in the Women's League Cup final thanks to Yui Hasegawa's own goal. This is only the second UWCL tie between English sides after Birmingham City's win over Arsenal in 2013-14.

Chelsea leads UWCL teams by spending more time ahead (474 minutes) and boasts a perfect quarter-final progression rate (5/5). Keira Walsh faces her former club after joining Chelsea from Barca in January; she ranks high for pass accuracy at 93%. Aoba Fujino is City's key player with five goal contributions recently.

The Opta supercomputer predicts a close contest between City and Chelsea, likely ending level among this week's matches. Chelsea aims for a record-setting unbeaten run of 32 games but faces stiff competition from City who have a healthy chance of avoiding defeat at home.