Barcelona and Wolfsburg History in the Women’s Champions League

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The 2022/23 Women’s Champions League final will be contested by Barcelona and Wolfsburg. The match will be played on the 3rd of June at the Philips Stadion, Eindhoven.

This is not the first time both teams have played in the final of the Champions League and they have each tasted success in the competition in the past.

Beginning with Barcelona and they have one Women’s Champions League trophy to their name having won the 2020/21 edition of the tournament.

Barcelona comfortably beat Chelsea 4-0 in the final and in doing so, Barcelona made history by becoming the first club to win both the men’s and women’s Champions League. Barcelona’s only real test that season came in the semi-final and they beat Paris Saint-Germain 3-2 on aggregate.

Including this season, Barcelona have reached the final of the Women’s Champions League three times in a row. They lost 3-1 to Lyon last season as defending champions and will be hoping for a better performance against Wolfsburg in Eindhoven.

You must go back to 2017/18 to find the last time Barcelona failed to reach at least the semi-final of the Women’s Champions League and they have become one of the strongest clubs in women’s European football over the last eight years.

Wolfsburg have won the Women’s Champions League on two previous occasions. They won their first trophy in 2012/13, beating Lyon 1-0 in the final that was held at Stamford Bridge, London.

They successfully defended the Women’s Champions League the following season by beating Tyresö FF of Sweden 4-3 in what was a thrilling final in Lisbon. Wolfsburg came back from 2-0 down to win the game.

Unfortunately for Wolfsburg, they have gone almost ten years without winning the Women’s Champions League. In 2021/22 they were eliminated at the semi-final stage and lost to Chelsea in the 2020/21 quarter final.

However, since their most recent success in 2013/14, Wolfsburg have reached the final three times but have lost on each occasion.

Interestingly, all three defeats have come against Lyon, two of which required extra-time and Wolfsburg will be happy they do not have to face the French club in the 2022/23 Women’s Champions League final.

Both Barcelona and Wolfsburg have had good goal scorers in recent Women’s Champions League tournaments. In 2021/22, Barcelona’s Alexia Putellas finished as top scorer with 11 goals and Barcelona also had the joint top scorer in the previous season with Jenni Hermoso finishing with 6 goals to her name.

In 2018/19, Pernille Harder was the top scorer with Wolfsburg having netted 8 times during the season and Zsanett Jakabfi, also of Wolfsburg, finished as joint top goal scorer in the 2016/17 competition.

So, Barcelona and Wolfsburg are two teams who know what it is like to succeed in the Women’s Champions League. They regularly reach the latter stages of the tournament and always have individual players who can score goals.