Matildas Abroad Preview: UWCL semi-finals kick-off; WSL title race heats up

The UEFA Women's Champions League semi-final first leg kicks off; while with four games left of the season, the title race heats up in the WSL as six points separate third place and first.

Read our preview of all of the action below.

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UWCL

The UEFA Women's Champions League semi-finals first legs kick off this weekend, with the defending champions, FC Barcelona, hosting Sam Kerr's Chelsea. 

Barcelona and Chelsea faced off in the UWCL semi-finals last season, with the Spanish side winning 2-1 on aggregate to book their spot in the final. Erin Cuthbert scored the Blues' only goal of the meeting, finding the back of the net in the away leg, but were unable to swing the tie. 

Emma Hayes' side will have a point to prove when taking on Barcelona, after being knocked out of the Women's FA Cup last week at the hands of Manchester United.

Barcelona v Chelsea
Date: Saturday 20 April
Time: 9:30pm AEST
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The other semi-final tie will see two Aussies go head-to-head, as eight-time winners of the UWCL, Ellie Carpenter's Lyon will take on Clare Hunt's Paris Saint-Germain.

Lyon booked their place in the final four after a 6–2 on aggregate win over Benfica, while PSG advanced past Aivi Luik's BK Häcken 5–1 on aggregate. The teams are no strangers to taking on one another, with Lyon having beaten Paris in three past semi-finals.

Lyon's Ellie Carpenter takes on PSG's Jackie Groenen. (Photo: PanoramiC via Imago)
Lyon's Ellie Carpenter takes on PSG's Jackie Groenen. (Photo: PanoramiC via Imago)

PSG and Lyon last faced off in the UWCL during the 2021/22 semi-finals, where Lyon won 5–3 on aggregate over PSG and went on to claim their 8th UWCL title. Hunt will be unlikely to feature due to an injury sustained before the international window. 

Lyon v PSG
Date: Sunday 21 April
Time: 3:00am AEST
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England

Charlie Rule's Brighton & Hove Albion will host Clare Wheeler's Everton to kick off the WSL for the weekend, with the season nearing the end only three points separate the two sides.

The Toffees come into the game off the back of a 4-1 defeat to Manchester United, while the Seagulls were held to a 0-0 draw to West Ham last week. Pauline Bremer, Maria Thorisdottir and Dejana Stefanovic will return for the home side, however, no word yet on when Rule will return from her injury. Wheeler is expected to start for Everton, with the midfielder racking up the most minutes in the league for an Aussie this season.

This game will kick off on Saturday morning at 4:00am AEST. 

Teagan Micah's Liverpool will take on Bristol City, who are stuck at the bottom of the table with six points and look destined for relegation to the Championship. 

The last meeting between the sides in the WSL ended in a 1-1 draw in December, with Micah appearing in the game. This game will kick off on Saturday night at 9:30pm AEST. 

Next up, Charli Grant's Tottenham Hotspur will take on Manchester United, which will be a precursor to next month's Women's FA Cup final. Only six points separate the two sides heading into the matchday, with Spurs still having one game in hand against Chelsea.

The last meeting between the two sides ended in a 4-0 victory to Manchester United. This game will kick off on Sunday night at 9:00pm AEST. 

Caitlin Foord, Steph Catley & Kyra Cooney-Cross' Arsenal will host Remy Siemsen & Courtney Nevin's Leicester City, with the Gunners sitting in third place and the Foxes in 9th. 

Caitlin Foord (19 Arsenal) puts Arsenal ahead during the Barclays FA Womens Super League game between Leicester City and Arsenal at King Power Stadium in Leicester, England (Natalie Mincher/SPP)
Caitlin Foord puts Arsenal ahead during the Barclays FA Womens Super League game between Leicester City and Arsenal at King Power Stadium in Leicester, England (Photo: Natalie Mincher/SPP via Imago)

Arsenal's chances of claiming the title look unlikely, sitting six points behind Chelsea and Manchester City, in first and second, respectively. Should the side hold on to their place in third, they will claim a UWCL spot for next season. 

This game will kick off on Sunday night at 11:00pm AEST. 

Last up, Alanna Kennedy & Mary Fowler's Manchester City will host Mackenzie Arnold & Katrina Gorry's West Ham United, with City fighting for every single point to keep their title hopes alive.

Gareth Taylor's side is locked on points with Kerr's Chelsea, both sitting on 49 points, however, Chelsea sits at the top of the table with the better goal difference of the two. 

The Hammers sit in 11th place on the ladder and sit seven points clear of relegation and will have a fight on their hands against City. This game will kick off on Sunday night at 11:15pm AEST. 

USA 

Emily van Egmond will take on her former side when van Egmond and Kaitlyn Torpey's San Diego Wave travel to the East Coast to take on the Orlando Pride. 

Both sides have recorded one win to start the season, with Wave coming into the game off the back of a 0-0 draw with Louisville, while the Pride recorded a 1-0 win over Utah.

This game will kick off on Saturday morning at 10:00am AEST. 

France

Paris FC take on Saint-Étienne on Friday night, 10:30pm AEDT. A win would see them remain within five points of PSG. Sarah Hunter is available for the side but has not featured in matchday squads recently. 

Sweden

Amy Sayer and Clare Polkinghorne’s Kristianstads DFF play their second game of the OBOS Damallsvenskan season when they face FC Rosengård. Rosengård recorded a dominant 5-0 win over Vittsjö to open their league campaign last weekend, while Kristianstads recorded a 3-1 victory. 

This game will kick off on Sunday night at 11:00pm AEST.

Spain

Hayley Raso's Real Madrid take on Levante as the side look to hold on to second place on the ladder. This clash will see 2nd place Real Madrid travel to take on 3rd place Levante.

The last meeting between the two sides back in October ended in a 2-1 win to Levante. This game will kick off on Saturday night at 8:00pm AEST. 

Norway

Winonah Heatley's FC Nordsjælland host AGF in the Championship group stage. Heatley's side currently sits in second place on 34 points while AGF is in fifth place with 23 points. 

This game will kick off on Sunday night at 11:00pm AEST.