Where the English sides stand ahead of final UWCL league stage games

It is all to play for heading into the last game of the Women’s Champions League league stage, with top-four and knockout spots still up for grabs. 

On Wednesday night, all nine fixtures will kick off simultaneously at 20:00 UK time as 18 teams battle it out for quarter-final and knockout phase spots.

The competition is now similar to the structure of the men’s competition where, after the league phase, the top four teams will automatically qualify for the quarter final. Teams that fall from fifth to twelfth place will enter a two-leg knockout play-off, while the teams in 13th to 18th are eliminated. 

Going into the final matchday, ten teams have already secured a spot at least in the play-offs, including all the English sides. But it remains to see who will secure an automatic quarter-final spot. Just four points separate first and ninth and all the English teams in the competition are travelling away for the final fixture.

Here’s what the picture looks like Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United:

Chelsea

Last year’s semi-finalists sit third in the table going into the final game, just two points behind Barcelona in first and Lyon in second, both on 13 points. 

Unbeaten and only conceding two goals across their draws with FC Twente and Barcelona, Sonia Bompastor’s side look to be in a very strong position to bag one of the automatic qualification spots.

On matchday six, they face two-time champions and last year’s quarter-finalists VfL Wolfsburg, who are down in seventh and just two points behind them. They last met in the group stages of the old format in 2021/22, where the German team delivered a 4-0 thrashing against their English opponents. 

A win would cement Chelsea in the top four, and they will be looking to close out their European year on a positive note as they did in their final Women’s Super League (WSL) match of the calendar year against Brighton.

Arsenal

Last year’s European champions have been making life difficult for themselves, and go into the final league stage match having suffered losses against tough opponents Lyon and Bayern Munich. They have nine points from three wins and sit eighth, only above Manchester United on goal difference. 

Their match against OH Leuven is a must-win if they want any chance of getting a top-four spot, though their opponents will not be lying down, as they are one of three teams, alongside Atletico Madrid and Valerenga, who are in the hunt to avoid elimination. 

Although Arsenal have recently welcomed back experienced defender Leah Williamson from a long spell on the sidelines, they remain hampered by injuries as they are missing both first and second string goalkeepers, Daphne van Domselaar and Manuela Zinsberger, as well as young defender Katie Reid and winger Chloe Kelly, both with knee injuries.

Manchester United

United, who reached the league stage through the qualifying stages this year, will travel to Italy to face Juventus on Wednesday night. Having failed to qualify for the competition last season, and only reaching the second round of qualifying in 2023/24, this is already United’s best run in Europe.

Even with a win, a lot of other results would have to swing in their favour for Marc Skinner’s side to get an automatic quarter final spot. However three points would go a long way to securing them a seeded place in the knockout play-offs. 

This would guarantee them (in theory) an easier opponent in the knockout phase, and give them home-field advantage in the second leg of the tie. They will need to tighten up their defence however, as Juve have scored 13 in the league stage, and Man Utd have conceded nine while only scoring six.