He Barcelona aspires to win this Saturday in the José Alvalade de Lisbon Stadium (18:00 hours CEST/16: 00 GMT) its fourth Champions League in front of Arsenal And thus close the circle that the Catalan team began in 2012 with its premiere in the maximum European competition, precisely against the London team.
A journey of more than a decade that has led to that debuting team, which lost in the sixteenth-final sixteenth (0-3 and 4-0) and was light years of the continental aristocracy, to climb in European football until consolidating itself as the dominator of the ‘Champions’ in the last five years.
The current captain of Barcelona and twice winner of the Golden Ball, Alexia Putellasis the only survivor of that team, which aspires to reissue the conquered title last campaign in Bilbao (2-0) against Olympique de Lyon, the most Laureate team in Europe.
It was a triumph that staged a change of dynasty, that the picture trained by Pere Romeu, five times finalist and three times champion in the last six years, will try to strengthen in its one hundred number in the maximum continental competition.
In the case of Victoria, Barça will tie with the German Eintracht as the second most laureate team in the competition with four trophies, only behind Lyon, with eight. Likewise, the Catalan team can become the second team that wins three ‘Champions’ in a row, something that has only overcome the French team, which chained four titles between 2016 and 2019.
Barcelona with everything to defend the title
The current champions will seek to revalidate the title in an unprecedented final against Arsenal, which won the only European final he has played so far in front of the Swedish Umea in the 2006-2007 campaign and will try to give the bell after beating the Lyon against the Lyon in the semifinals.
The last time both teams saw the faces was in the group stage of the 2021-2022 season, and the Catalans thrashed 8-1 in the global result.
Likewise, the team led by Pere Romeu, who opens this course as the first coach, aspires to reissue the poker of titles last season, since he has already won the Spanish Super Cup and the F League, and on June 7 will be measured to Atlético de Madrid in the final of the Queen’s Cup.
The Catalans, who only have the decline of the front Kika Nazareth, will try to take over the ball and mark the rhythm of the final in the center of the field with Alexia Putellas, Aitana Bonmatí and Patri Guijarro, while in attack they trust in the glued of Ewa Pajor and Clàudia Pina.
For its part, Arsenal, the only English team to conquer the Champions League, although 18 years ago, wants to add a new trophy to its palmraés. It is the most difficult challenge, to be in front of Barcelona and for being also its first final since that title in 2007.
But this arsenal has greased with the progress of the season. Since they fired Jonas Eidevall in October, he has only lost three games in the league, they have finished second behind the intractable Chelsea, they reached the quarterfinals of the FA Cup already semifinals of the League Cup.
In addition, the ‘gunners’ have completed a great tour in Europe, losing only one game in the group stage and tracing the crossings with Real Madrid and Olympique de Lyon.
That Barcelona made an 8-2 in the semifinals to Chelsea, clear dominator in England with six titles followed by the League, is the biggest notice that Arsenal can have.
To have options, the arsenal will need his best aim above, where the scorer of England Alessia Russo, who has scored 20 goals among all competitions, and the ex -Azulgrana Mariona Caldereny, who adds 19 and eight of them have been in this Champions (5), Bright (4) and Manchester United (3).
A single triumph, against United to certify the second league square, could be a reason for concern for the Londoners, but the truth is that, with the title already in the hands of Chelsea, this arsenal has had the head more in the Champions League than in the English League.
The Arsenal coach, the Dutch Renee Slegers, has the casualties of Lina Hurtig, the former Laia Codina, Katie Reid and Daphne Van Domselaar’s doubt for this match.
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Arsenal: Zinsberger; Fox, Williamson, Cathery, McCabe; Maanum, Little, Caldentey; Kelly, Ford; and Russo.
Barcelona: Cata Coll; Ona Batlle, Paredes, Mapi León, Esmee; Bonmatí, Patri Guijarro, Alexia Putellas; Graham Hansen, Ewa Pajor, Clàudia Pina.
Referee: Ivana Martini (Cro).
Time: 18:00 CEST (16:00 GMT)
Stadium: José Alvalade Stadium (Lisbon).
