Barcelona vs Paris FC prediction: UEFA Women’s Champions League preview, team news, lineups & H2H

• The Barcelona vs Paris FC prediction article looks at the two sides’ current form, team news, possible lineups and previous meeting ahead of their Women’s Champions League clash.
• Barcelona will begin the defence of their European crown against Paris on Wednesday, September 23.
• Kick-off is scheduled for 10:00pm EAT.

Barcelona Women will begin the defence of their Women’s Champions League title on Wednesday evening when they welcome Paris Women in their opening league-phase fixture.

The reigning European champions head into the contest aiming to make another strong start to their continental campaign as they chase a fifth Women’s Champions League crown.

Barcelona enjoyed another memorable European campaign last season, lifting the trophy after a commanding 4-0 victory over OL Lyonnes in the final in Norway.

However, the triumph also marked the end of an era for the Catalan giants, with club legends Alexia Putellas and Mapi Leon making their final European appearances for Barcelona before moving to London City Lionesses.

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Ona Batlle and Salma Paralluelo have also moved on, with Batlle joining Arsenal and Paralluelo switching to OL Lyonnes.

Despite those departures, Barcelona have wasted little time adapting to the changes and have started the new Liga F campaign with four consecutive victories.

Pere Romeu’s side have scored 19 goals and conceded just twice across those four matches, with their most demanding domestic test coming against Atletico Madrid, whom they defeated 4-2.

They followed that result with an emphatic 6-0 victory over Deportivo Alaves on Friday, a result which kept them two points clear of Real Madrid at the top of the table.

Barcelona will now turn their attention to Europe, where they have established themselves as one of the dominant forces in women’s football.

The Catalan side have won their last 10 Women’s Champions League home matches and have scored at least three goals in each of those victories, underlining the challenge facing their French opponents.

Barcelona Women and Paris Women will meet on Wednesday, September 23, with the match scheduled to kick off at 10:00pm East Africa Time.

The fixture will be played in Barcelona as the holders begin their latest quest for European glory.

Barcelona are expected to be without defensive duo Irene Paredes and Renee van Asten, who have both missed the club’s last two matches due to muscle injuries.

Their absence could see Martin Fernandez and Marta Torrejón feature in defence, although Barcelona have another option available should Guijarro be moved into the backline.

Esmee Brugts, Kika Nazareth and Claudia Pina are all expected to return to the starting XI after beginning the weekend’s match on the bench.

Barcelona will also have plenty of attacking quality available, with Caroline Graham Hansen and Ewa Pajor among the players expected to pose a major threat to the Paris defence.

Paris, meanwhile, will continue without midfielder Daphne Corboz, who remains on the road to recovery from a long-term knee injury.

Hillary Diaz could return to the starting lineup after beginning the recent league victory over Strasbourg among the substitutes.

Coach Sandrine Soubeyrand could also introduce Oceane Picard into midfield as Paris look to make life difficult for Barcelona’s midfielders.

• Barcelona Women: Coll; Schertenleib, Fernandez, Torrejon, Brugts; Lopez, Guijarro, Nazareth; Graham, Pina, Pajor
• Paris Women: Chavas; N’Dongala, Diaz, Hocine, Baquerizo; Toloba, Le Moguedec, Picard, Korosec, Mateo; Viens

Barcelona have enjoyed a perfect start to the new campaign, winning all four of their matches so far.

Paris have won two of their opening three domestic matches but suffered a heavy 7-1 defeat away to French champions OL Lyonnes.

They responded positively to that setback by recording a 2-0 away victory over Strasbourg, giving them some momentum heading into their European assignment.

The two clubs met during last season’s Women’s Champions League league phase, with Barcelona claiming a 2-0 victory when the teams faced each other in Paris.

Wednesday’s encounter will be Paris’ first European away fixture against Barcelona, giving the visitors another opportunity to test themselves against the reigning champions.

Paris secured their place in the league phase after finishing second in the French top flight last season. They subsequently defeated city rivals Paris Saint-Germain in the playoff semi-finals before suffering a 5-0 defeat to OL Lyonnes in the final.

They will face another formidable challenge in the opening stages of this year’s competition, with Arsenal also waiting in their next Champions League assignment.

After those two difficult fixtures, Paris will have meetings with Hacken, Real Madrid, Koge and Servette to complete their league-phase schedule.

Barcelona enter this contest with considerable momentum after winning all four of their Liga F matches and producing an impressive attacking record in the process.

Their home record in the Women’s Champions League also provides another reason for confidence, with the Spanish giants having won each of their last 10 home matches in the competition.

Paris have shown that they can respond after difficult results, as demonstrated by their victory over Strasbourg following the heavy defeat against OL Lyonnes.

However, facing the reigning European champions away from home represents a significantly tougher challenge.

Barcelona are likely to control much of the possession and look to use their attacking options to put Paris under sustained pressure.

With the hosts in strong scoring form and Paris facing one of the most difficult fixtures on their league-phase schedule, Barcelona could have enough quality to begin their title defence with three points.