UWCL Preview: Group stage kicks off with exciting matchups

The UEFA Women's Champions League group stage kicks off on Thursday morning, with plenty of Matildas going head-to-head for a chance to advance to the quarter-finals.

The revamped competition format will feature a 16-team group stage, replacing the round of 16. The group stage has some huge match-ups in all four groups. With Aussies going head-to-head in Group A and C, UEFA Women's Champions League holders Lyon will tackle Arsenal. While Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain have both been placed in the same group.

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All games group stage games will be streamed for free within Australia on DAZN and shown live on their YouTube channel.

Group A

Sam Kerr's Chelsea will open their UWCL campaign away to Lydia Williams' Paris Saint-Germain, who were knocked out of the competition last season in the semi-finals by the eventual winners, Lyon. 


PSG qualified for the group stage after beating BK Häcken in two legs of qualifying, with the fixture ending 4-1 on aggregate. Chelsea went out in a three-way head-to-head goal difference tie-break behind Wolfsburg and Juventus in last season's group stage and will be aiming to replicate their best-ever UWCL run after making the final in the 2020/21 season.

Paris Saint-Germain vs Chelsea
Date: Friday, October 21
Kick-off: 6:00 am AEDT

Group C

Caitlin Foord and Steph Catley's Arsenal will be competing in Group C alongside Ellie Carpenter's Olympique Lyonnais. The two sides will start their group stage campaign against one another, with the fixture hosted in France.

The reigning champions have played the English side previously in the competition, with Lyon beating the Gunners in the 2011 semi-finals. 


Lyon will be without 11 of their regular starters, including Carpenter, and the defending UWCL champions will be put to the test in their first game of this season's UWCL when they host Arsenal.

Lyon vs Arsenal
Date: Thursday, October 20
Kick-off: 6:00 am AEDT

Group D

Lastly, Teagan Micah's FC Rosengård have been drawn into Group D alongside FC Barcelona, FC Bayern München and SL Benfica. 

The Swedish side will kick off their campaign away to Bayern, travelling to Germany to face last season's quarter-finalists. 


Rosengård is coming to the end of their OBOS Damallsvenskan season, and looks destined to make it back-to-back league titles after collecting 18 wins so far in the season.

FC Bayern München vs FC Rosengård
Date: Thursday, October 20
Kick-off: 3:45 am AEDT