Mariona Caldentey’s Arsenal Hoping To Break Barcelona Champions League Hegemony | Soccer Information

Powered by former Barcelona star Mariona Caldentey, Arsenal should upset the percentages in opposition to the all-conquering Catalan giants on Saturday to forestall them successful a fourth ladies’s Champions League title in 5 years. Reaching their sixth closing in seven years, Barcelona intention to additional tighten their grip on the ladies’s sport on the Jose Alvalade stadium in Lisbon in opposition to Renee Slegers’ aspect. The Dutch coach changed Jonas Eidevall in October on an interim foundation, made everlasting in January because the group’s kind improved dramatically underneath her.

Within the Champions League Arsenal produced a stirring quarter-final second-leg comeback to remove Actual Madrid after which thrashed report eight-time winners Lyon 4-1 in France to achieve the ultimate.

Whereas Lyon are the report holders, Barcelona have been Europe’s dominant pressure within the final 5 years.

The Catalans eased into their fifth consecutive closing by destroying English home treble winners Chelsea 8-2 on mixture.

Barcelona, who received the Champions League in 2021, 2023 and 2024, additionally sealed a sixth-consecutive Liga F victory and are well-placed to repeat final season’s quadruple.

They boast two-time Ballon d’Or winners Aitana Bonmati and Alexia Putellas in addition to an array of different stars, though they’ve additionally misplaced some vital gamers.

A kind of is winger Mariona Caldentey, a daily for Barcelona during the last decade who went in search of a brand new journey.

The 29-year-old joined Arsenal in July and has change into the group’s key participant, named the Ladies’s Tremendous League participant of the season.

“She has given us that subsequent degree,” mentioned Slegers. “She’s a complete footballer. She’s obtained every part.”

Barca winger Caroline Graham Hansen mentioned it will likely be unusual going through the Spaniard.

“Clearly, she’s been missed as a result of she’s a really good particular person contained in the locker room and implausible participant on the pitch,” mentioned the Norwegian.

“So it may be bizarre to see her on the opposite aspect…

“(Hopefully) I will not see any targets from her on Saturday.”

In fact, Caldentey has different plans.

“I hope I can rating, however I would not have a good time,” she advised Mundo Deportivo.

“I’ve a number of respect for Barca for every part they gave me, how they helped me, and I am going to at all times present that respect.”

Whereas Barcelona have three Champions League trophies in 4 years, Arsenal have received the competitors simply as soon as, again when it was the UEFA Ladies’s Cup in 2007.

That is their first Champions League closing since then.

– Again to the beginning –

The ultimate is Barcelona’s a centesimal European match, 13 years after their first, additionally in opposition to Arsenal.

Again then the Gunners had been a far better pressure than their opponents and romped to a 7-0 mixture win over Barcelona within the Champions League spherical of 32.

Kim Little scored in that tie and may function for Arsenal within the closing, together with the one different survivor from that period — Barca’s Putellas.

This season it took Barcelona a while to seek out their greatest underneath coach Pere Romeu, after Jonatan Giraldez left on the finish of final season for US ladies’s aspect Washington Spirit.

The Catalans additionally needed to adapt to a brand new striker, Poland’s Ewa Pajor, who has scored a formidable 43 targets in 45 matches this season.

“It is my dream to win this trophy with this group, however we have now to be calm, not obsessive about this trophy,” Pajor advised UEFA.

“We’ve got to be ready, to be targeted and I hope we win this trophy like a group, as a result of we have now superb, superb gamers, superb coaches and, sure, we will do it.”

Barcelona have received their final 9 Champions League matches, scoring 44 targets within the course of, one shy of Wolfsburg’s report 45 within the 2013-14 season.

Claudia Pina has stepped as much as fill the hole left by Caldentey and scored 10, making her the competitors’s prime scorer, forward of Arsenal’s Alessia Russo and Caldentey on seven.

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