Women’s Champions League: Arsenal, Glasgow City, Cardiff City and Shelbourne Drawn Together
The Women’s Champions League is set to kick off with a bang as Arsenal, Glasgow City, Cardiff City and Shelbourne were drawn together in the same first-round group. The Scottish champions will face their Irish counterparts in one semi-final, with the winners taking on either Welsh champions Cardiff or Gintra of Lithuania in their mini-final.
Arsenal’s Campaign
Arsenal, who reached last season’s last four, will take on either Paris or Kryvbas of Ukraine in their final should the 2007 winners progress. The Gunners are looking to make a strong start to their campaign and will be hoping to make it to the final which will be played at Sporting Lisbon’s Estadio Jose Alvalade on 24, 25 or 26 May.
Scottish Teams
Scottish runners-up Celtic meet Brondby of Denmark in their semi-final for the right to play either Minsk of Belarus or Norwegians Valerenga. Northern Irish champions Cliftonville face Benfica, who reached the main group stage last season, in their section semi-final, with the winners taking on either Riga of Latvia or Shymkent of Kazakhstan.
Manchester United and Chelsea
Like Cliftonville, Manchester United are making their debut in the competition, but England’s runners-up are among clubs who enter in round two. English champions Chelsea, who were also losing semi-finalists last year, join holders Barcelona, former Champions League winners Lyon and Bayern Munich in entering directly to the 16-team group stage.
Conclusion
The Women’s Champions League is set to be an exciting tournament with a variety of teams from all over Europe competing for the title. Arsenal, Glasgow City, Cardiff City and Shelbourne will all be hoping to make it to the final and it will be interesting to see how they fare against some of Europe’s biggest clubs. With Manchester United and Chelsea entering in round two, it promises to be an exciting tournament with plenty of surprises along the way.