Women's Champions League Matchday 2/Women's Europa Cup Round of 16 Preview

Women's club football is back this week as we hit the midpoint of the UEFA Women's Champions League group phase, as well as the UEFA Women's Europa Cup. The former heads into the third matchday of the league phase, while the latter is in the round of 16 - the first main stage of the tournament.

Ahead of what will undoubtedly be a busy week, here is a preview of all 17 games/ties to occur.

Women's Champions League: Hosts Look to Dominate

For the second league phase in a row, Chelsea will play host to AS Roma. The Blues were comfortable 6-0 winners last fall, which was the most recent occasion where they scored that many times in a European match. Four of Chelsea's five games against Italian opposition all-time have ended in victory, the other being drawn. Last year's result was Roma's heaviest continental defeat at the time, though that was matched last matchday against Barcelona. The Giallorosse have at least one away win to their name in each of their previous group phase appearances.

A first-ever meeting will take place in Germany between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. The Bavarians enter the round in the top four, though they are without a win in their last four with Liga F opposition. Three more points on Wednesday night will almost surely guarantee them a knockout round place with half of the games left. Real will have reason to be confident ahead of the clash seeing they have come out on top in all three of their previous matches against a German side. One of two sides to draw both of their opening matches, Las Blancas will strengthen their chances at advancing with three points.

Another repeat battle from the 2025/26 league phase will see Arsenal and Benfica face off. The Gunners came away 2-0 victors in Lisbon a little more than a year ago. This time, the North Londoners will be at home, where they have won their last six in the UWCL. They will fancy their chances at getting the result. As for Benfica, they have never scored in three attempts versus English opposition, losing all three. Their matchday 1 success in Italy was just their third away victory at this stage of the UWCL.

Also on Wednesday, OL Lyonnes are at home to Internazionale. The French side are the overwhelming favourites in this one. L'OL, eight-time winners of the Women's Champions League, have kept a clean sheet in each of their last four league phase games, including both of September's games. Inter have had a more than decent start to their debut in the UWCL proper, having also collected four points so far. However, this will be by far their strongest test, especially given the fact they are winless in their last three continental away games.

UWCL Match of the Round: Servette vs OH Leuven

An interesting pick for match of the round in, as Servette and OH Leuven face a crucial meeting in both sides' chances at cracking the top 12.

Similar to their other group phase showing back in 2021/22, Switzerland's Servette have yet to avoid defeat. In eight matches, they have conceded 36 times, including 13 in this season's competition. Any hopes of making an unexpected run to make the knockout stage begins at home, where they have never scored. Les Grenat will be taking on a Belgian club in Europe for the first time.

Leuven, who participated in the knockout round playoffs last term, have a point to their name from two rounds. However, the Belgians could be in for a legitimate chance of progressing once again, as their next two games are versus fellow Pot 3 opponents. With that said, their last three away matches in the league phase saw them held off the scoresheet. A maiden away victory in the UWCL proper will be vital on Wednesday evening.

Häcken Strive For First Points

One of Thursday's opening matches pits together Austria Wien and Juventus. It is a second Italian opponent in a row for FAK, who won their first-ever point last month versus Inter in dramatic fashion. Only once has an Austrian team won a group phase match in the UWCL, which occurred in 2022. Juve have already made a trip to Austria this term, having knocked off St. Pölten in the third qualifying round in the summer. Both of their away matches in Europe ended 3-0 in their favour.

A fifth matchup between Paris FC and BK Häcken will occur in France. The hosts currently lead the head-to-head 2-1-1, with this being the first time both sides meet under their current names. With that in mind, Paris will see this as an excellent opportunity to end a five-game winless run in the UWCL. Häcken were beaten by Italian sides in each of the opening two rounds, leaving them the only club to have no points and no goals at this point. The Swedes, who are on the cusp of winning the Damallsvenskan, went unbeaten in their European away games in 2025/26 en route to becoming the UEFA Women's Europa Cup winners.

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Manchester City will get their maiden clash with Paris Saint-Germain in European play. The Cityzens, Women's Super League holders, are 3-1-2 against French teams in the UWCL, keeping four clean sheets as well. They are without defeat in their last six home continental clashes, with their draw with Real Madrid last time out being their only draw. PSG grabbed their first win in the UWCL since 2024 in September, ending a run of 11 without success (qualifiers included).

HB Køge will try their luck against the defending Women's Champions League victors Barcelona in Denmark. This is the second opponent the Danes will face in this league phase that they also met in the 2021/22 edition. They lost both matches versus Barca five years ago by an aggregate score of 7-0. Speaking of Blaugrana, they are 4-2-0 in matches against sides from Denmark, having prevailed in their last four. They have won 12 of their last 13 group phase games, drawing the other.

Women's Europa Cup: German Duo Aim For More Success

Norway's SK Brann take on Czarni Sosnowiec to open the second-ever UEFA Women's Europa Cup proper. Currently top in their domestic league, Brann have already gone farther than they did in the competition last term, where they lost to Hammarby in the second qualifying round. In what is their fifth year in Europe in a row, Fotballrepublikken could match their best-ever performance should they progress. Czarni have already had a historic run, with the Poles being one of two sides left to compete in the UWCL first qualifying round. They have scored in all of their European matches so far.

The other team from UWCL Q1, Spartak Myjava, will have a very difficult test as they take on last season's finalists Hammarby. Myjava were one win away from participating in the UWEC last term, but got over the hurdle this time around. Victory over PAOK last round brought them to this round. This will be a much greater challenge for them, as Hammarby made the final last May. Bajen went 6-1-3 in last year's tournament before falling to fellow Swedish outfit Häcken. A comfortable 5-0 success over Rangers in the second qualifying round saw them return to the UWEC proper.

PSV Eindhoven are up against one of the favourites to go all the way in Eintracht Frankfurt. It is the second season running that the two face off at this stage of the competition, with Die Adler coming out on top last year. PSV progressed from a two-legged tie for the second time last month giving them the opportunity for revenge. However, they are taking on one of the two teams to win a UEFA club competition, as Frankfurt are four-time UWCL champions. They made the semifinals in 2025/26, and will be primed for another deep run once more.

The other German team in this round, Wolfsburg, are up against continental debutants Feyenoord. Die Wölfinnen have won their other two games against Dutch opposition, getting past Twente in the 2019/20 UWCL season. They have never been knocked out in the round of 16 in Europe in nine previous straight-knockout competitions. Feyenoord got past Anderlecht and Vålerenga in the qualifying rounds to get to the round of 16. They are the only one of the three Dutch teams to be making their continental bow this season.

UWEC Tie of the Round: Ajax vs Malmö

In what promises to be a cracking tie with crucial coefficient points on the line, Ajax go up against Malmö.

Ajax had to negotiate two rounds of qualifying in 2025/26 before their elimination to Hammarby in the last 16. This time around, De Godendochters needed only one round, getting past Aktobe. Quarterfinalists in the Women's Champions League in 2023/24, they are striving to become the fifth different team to make the last eight of both club competitions.

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Malmö are participating in a UEFA club competition for the first time, making the final of their UWCL mini-tournament before losing to Frankfurt. A pair of victories over SKN St. Pölten last month got Di blåe to this point, making them the third different Swedish club in the UWEC proper. They have kept three clean sheets in Europe so far, something they will look to build on.

Sociedad Face Interesting Challenge

Real Sociedad are up against Fenerbahçe in what will likely be a tricky tie for the Spaniards. La Real will be playing their seventh and eight matches in European play, having claimed their first-ever win in their last game. The 4-0 aggregate success over Hearts - all four goals came in the decider - saw them become Spain's first team in the UWEC last 16. Similarly, Fenerbahçe are the first club from Türkiye to make the UWEC main rounds, matching Galatasaray's UWCL group stage showing back in 2024/25. Sarı Kanaryalar won both legs of their second qualifying round tie against FK Minsk.

Semifinalists last spring, Sparta Praha will battle Portuguese side Torreense. Despite their regular appearances in continental play, this is Sparta's first meeting with a Portuguese club. The Czech outfit fell to Servette in UWCL Q3, but responded by knocking off FCV Farul Constanța in the Women's Europa Cup. Torreense entered the UWEC after finishing third in their UWCL mini-tournament, eliminating Ukrainian pair Kolos Kovalivka and FC Kharkiv in the qualifying rounds. This is their debut in Europe after finishing third in Portugal last term.

An all-Nordic clash will see Rosenborg and Brøndby face off in what will be an intriguing two legs. This is a repeat meeting from the 2004/05 season, where Rosenborg prevailed en route to making the UEFA Women's Cup semifinals. That remains their best-ever European campaign. Brøndby are also no stranger to the continental scene as three-time semifinalists in the UWCL. They got past Sporting CP in the second qualifying round to become Denmark's third different participant in the UWEC proper.