The first legs of the Women's Champions League quarter-finals take place this weekend, with two familiar foes doing battle in Catalonia as Barcelona face Chelsea on Sunday.

This will be the teams' third consecutive semi-final clash, with Barca winning the last two. No side has eliminated Chelsea from the competition more often than the Catalan giants, who also beat the Blues in the 2021 final (Wolfsburg also three times).

Indeed, under Emma Hayes, Chelsea seemingly found Barca to be their Kryptonite, while the semi-final hurdle was one they struggled to overcome in Europe. 

Among teams that have competed in at least five UWCL semi-final ties, only Arsenal (14% - 1/7) have a worse progression rate than Chelsea (20% - 1/5), whose only aggregate triumph at this stage came against Bayern Munich in 2020-21.

However, under Sonia Bompastor – a serial Champions league winner both as a player and a coach – Chelsea are confident of breaking the cycle this campaign.

Familiar foes, unfamiliar coaches

Chelsea will hope Bompastor's presence on the sidelines is a major factor, as she is the only coach to have beaten Barcelona in the competition in the last four years, leading Lyon to victory in the 2022 final on a magical night in Turin. 

Chelsea have won seven of their eight UWCL games this season (L1), their most victories in a single campaign. 

Barcelona, however, have become one of the most dominant sides in world football, completing the quadruple last season. They are also the only team to reach the semi-finals of the competition in each of the last seven campaigns (since 2018-19).

They also have also seen changes this season with Pere Romeu continuing to build on the legacy of Jonatan Giraldez. Barcelona have won their last 17 two-legged UWCL ties, a run that began in 2018, and Romeu is the fourth manager to contribute to this streak. 

They have, however, shown they can be beaten in both the league and in Europe this season. 

Most notably, they were defeated 3-1 by Real Madrid last month, their first ever defeat in El Clasico following 18 straight wins over their rivals. 

Barca also suffered a 2-1 defeat to Manchester City in the group stages of this competition, the same opponents who dealt Chelsea their only loss in Europe this season – in the first leg of the quarter-finals.

Since losing the 2022 final to Lyon, Barcelona have won 10 of their 12 games in the knockout stages of the Champions League (D1 L1). They have won each of their last seven games in the competition, their longest run since between May 2021 and April 2022 (11 in a row).

Can star-studded hosts be stopped?

Barca are the leading scorers in this season's tournament with 36 goals, and eight of those have come via players aged 21 or younger – the most since Paris Saint-Germain in 2021-22 (nine).

The reigning champions boast a star-studded attacking lineup, and Chelsea will be particularly aware of the threat of Caroline Graham Hansen, as no player has scored more goals against the Blues in the competition her four (level with Tabea Sellner). 

The winger netted against Chelsea in the 2021 final and both legs of the 2022-23 semi-finals with Barca, as well as in the 2015-16 round of 16 when playing for Wolfsburg.

Leading the Golden Boot race with seven goals in this edition is her team-mate Claudia Pina. 

Pina's goals have come from 2.9 expected goals (xG), while she also has the second-best shot conversion rate of any player to have scored more than two goals in the 2024-25 tournament (36.84%), after Arsenal’s Mariona Caldentey (41.67%).

Chelsea will also need to shut down Ballon d'Or winner Aitana Bonmati, who has created 26 chances in the Champions League this term, five more than any other player.

Former Barca heroes lead Chelsea charge

On the other side, Lionesses duo Lucy Bronze and Kiera Walsh both lifted the trophy with Barcelona last year and their knowledge of their former team-mates could help Chelsea edge the tie this time around.

Bronze has only finished on the losing side in one of her last nine Champions League semi-final appearances, (W6 D2), with Barca losing 1-0 to Chelsea in the first leg at this stage last season, only to recover with a 2-0 victory at Stamford Bridge.

Meanwhile, Mayra Ramirez has been directly involved in five goals in seven starts in the UWCL (four goals, one assist), but all of those goal involvements have come at Stamford Bridge – can she take that form on the road to the Estadi Johan Cruyff?

Fellow forward Johanna Rytting Kaneryd won possession in the final third five times in Chelsea’s second-leg victory over Man City in the previous round, the joint-most by a player on record in a knockout-stage game in the UWCL (since 2021-22). 

Overall, in 2024-25, only three players have won possession in the final third more often than the Swede (12 times), so the Blues are equipped to apply pressure from the front.

Rivalry renewed 

Chelsea have won four of their last five meetings with Spanish opposition in the Women’s Champions League (L1) after winning just two of their previous eight (D4 L2).

The Blues have also progressed from seven of their nine Champions League knockout-stage ties when playing the first leg away from home, winning that first leg on six occasions (L3).

But Barcelona have lost just one of their five Champions League meetings with Chelsea (W3 D1), though they have actually failed to win their two home games against the Blues in the competition (D1 L1).

The Blaugrana should take confidence, however, from the fact they have won each of their last four knockout ties against English opposition (including the 2021 final), since they were eliminated in the round of 16 by Bristol City in 2014-15.

At this stage last campaign, an Erin Cuthbert goal handed Chelsea victory in the first leg at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, but Bonmati and Fridolina Rolfo struck either side of Kadeisha Buchanan's red card as they overturned that deficit in west London, winning 2-0 on the day and 2-1 on aggregate.

What's expected?

Although Chelsea can take some hope from winning in Catalonia last year, the Opta supercomputer makes the hosts favourites to triumph in Sunday's first leg with a 49.5% win probability, with the draw rated at 25.4%. 

Chelsea are at 25.1%, so a realistic target may be to stay in the tie before next week's second leg at Stamford Bridge, where they have won all four of their European games this season.