By Ava-Marianne Elliott (24/05/25)
In the seventh article of special coverage building up to a huge clash between Arsenal and Barcelona in Lisbon, Impetus Football’s Ava-Marianne Elliott previews the action and looks into how both finalists reached the last hurdle.
Today marks a huge clash in the UEFA Women’s Champions League, as the last two standing on Europe’s biggest stage battle for the trophy. Arsenal, the only ever English side to claim the title meet one of the competition’s most formidable sides, Spanish giants Barcelona. The match takes place Estadio José Alvalade in Lisbon, where over 50,000 spectators are set to witness a landmark game in women’s football.
For Arsenal fans, this fixture is set to be a memorable one. The passion displayed after that full-time whistle away in Lyon after the Gunners’ s semi-final win from the team and fans alike was 18 years in the making. After their first win in the competition during the club’s historic 2006-2007 season, Arsenal have failed to reach the final again, including falling short in four semi-finals since.
This year however, the North London side have the trophy in arm’s reach. Some may say its down to new Manager, Renée Slegers, who has had a profound impact and seemingly injected a rejuvenated sense of energy into the team, despite them missing out on any domestic silverware this season.
Differing to their opponents, Barcelona have won the title the past two-years in a row, aiming to make it a hattrick this year. Last year, they successfully beat Lyon in the final and further cemented their status as a powerhouse in women’s football, but now, they’re looking to go that extra mile.
A win for the Catalan club would see them be the second team to lift the Champion’s League trophy three years in a row. They head into the fixture off the back of six consecutive title wins in their league, and the odds seem to be leaning in their favour over an Arsenal side that have been hailed the comeback queens of this year’s competition.
Arsenal’s turbulent journey
Despite one dip in the road, Arsenal otherwise passed through the qualifying stages with ease. They started off with a 6-0 win over Rangers and a 1-0 win over Rosenborg, both at Borehamwood. It was Hacken away where they struggled, but the 1-0 deficit in Sweden was swiftly overturned with a 4-0 win back on home soil.
The quarter-finals, they were tested greatly with a difficult away trip to Madrid, where they were met with unsuitable playing conditions and handed a 2-0 defeat. The result was bleak and felt like a huge drawback, giving the team a heavy job to do at the Emirates. Flash forward to eight-days later, that night was long forgotten and hopes were sky-high as the scoreboard read Arsenal 3-2 Real Madrid on aggregate at the final whistle.
The first leg of the semis at the Emirates didn’t quite go as planned, and yet again the Gunners trailed going into the second leg after a 2-1 defeat to Lyon. Somehow, the loss didn’t quite feel like the end of the world, and surely enough, Arsenal produced more magic to sink the most successful side the UWCL’s seen, earning their spot in Lisbon.
Barcelona’s road to Lisbon
Barcelona’s run has looked vastly different to their opponents. Coming in at the group stage, last years victors had just one defeat in the run up to the final, occurring in their first fixture of the competition at the hands of Manchester City. Despite the loss, they topped the group and advanced to the knockouts with no other blemishes to their immaculate record.
Astoundingly, they knocked Frauen-Bundesliga second-place Wolfsburg out in the quarterfinals with a staggering 10-2 scoreline across both legs. Their intense style of play and high-pressure attack proved to be too much for not just Wolfsburg, as Barcelona then went on to produce one of the most shocking scorelines of the season.
They were in full flow in the semi-finals, beating WSL title-holders Chelsea 4-1 both home and away. The team wreaked havoc at Stamford Bridge. Despite not being as untouchable as they have been in previous years and statistically having their worst season, Barca stormed past the Blues, who ultimately stood no chance against an 8-2 aggregate score thanks to the brilliance of Claudia Pina.
Ones to watch
Having spent a huge portion of her career at Barcelona, Spanish international Mariona Caldentey made the move across the pond to Arsenal last summer. In her first season, she has been more than incredible, bringing her talent to the WSL and showcasing it on a new stage. The decisive, tactically intelligent attacking-midfielder brings a whole new level to N5, and her experience in big fixtures, alongside her understanding of the opponents could prove to be vital in this high-stake match up.
Claudia Pina is the definition of an impact player. The 23-year-old forward has played just 423 minutes of the UWCL this season but, she sits at the top of the charts as the competitions top-scorer. Pina has excellent positional awareness, always finding herself in the right place at the right time to provide a jaw-dropping, clinical strike.
Alessia Russo’s season in the WSL has been outstanding. She has been pivotal in Arsenal’s lineup, scoring 12 goals in the league and always being a relentless threat, no matter the opponent. The striker is in stellar goal-scoring form, particularly establishing her impact in that crucial home win against Real Madrid in the quarter-finals. More importantly, Russo doesn’t just bring goals to the table, with her off the ball movement and work being integral to the Gunners.
Digging deeper
In order to sink Barcelona, Arsenal are going to have to be on their toes. There’s a very blatant reason as to why the current holders are going to their fifth final in a row. They very rarely show an ounce of vulnerability across fixtures, not giving opponents enough time to find a strategy that will crack their flawless formation.
| Stats per 90 | Arsenal | Barcelona |
| Shots on target | 6 | 9.9 |
| Goals | 2.5 | 4.4 |
| Goals conceded | 1.4 | 0.7 |
| Accurate passes | 482.9 | 684.6 |
| Accurate crosses | 5.5 | 5.5 |
Above: A table containing both finalists statistics per 90 across the competition so far. Barcelona’s ruthless, possession based, quick and passing based style heavily acts in their favour, as they average 4.4 goals per match.
Barcelona operate with patience, often holding possession and waiting for the right chance to pounce, creating build-up play that travels up from their defensive line to the immense quality they have upfront. The fluidity of their attack is largely down to two of the world’s greatest, Aitana Bonmatí and Alexia Putellas, who dominate the midfield. The pair are stellar at sourcing pockets of space, no matter how big or small to dictate the pace before laying off a smart pass to one of the forwards.
To get around this, Arsenal are going to have to be creative in their movement, but also be brave and take the opportunities that they find themselves with. A higher press would effectively disrupt that build-up play from their opponent’s backline and provide them with chances to pounce at keeper Cata Coll’s net. Alongside the fact they’ll have to try and stretch Barcelona to the limit through attacking motions, the Gunners will have to keep a tight and well-constructed defensive shape if they want to see gold.
Under Slegers, Arsenal have shown that they have an increased adaptability. Their resilience has been outstanding, and with their quality-stacked squad and leadership from the likes of Kim Little, they could very well take the top spot.
“We want to show courage tomorrow. We respect Barca as a team. They are a really good football team, so we are humble, but we are here to win.” – Renée Slegers.
If you missed the previous articles in our countdown to the UWCL final, you can find them below:
- Vic Ackers and Arsenal’s trophy-ridden past: https://impetusfootball.org/2025/05/20/arsenal-women-trophy-hunters-across-time/
- The financial implications of the UWCL: https://impetusfootball.org/2025/05/19/its-good-to-share-rethinking-the-creation-and-distribution-of-revenue-in-the-womens-game/
- Kim Little profile & analysis: https://impetusfootball.org/2025/05/22/kim-little-enduring-excellence-on-the-european-stage/
- Steph Catley media conference: https://impetusfootball.org/2025/05/23/steph-catley-this-is-a-special-team-and-we-have-a-lot-of-belief-in-what-were-doing/
- What this final means to Australian Arsenal fans: https://impetusfootball.org/2025/05/23/australian-arsenal-fans-share-their-love-of-the-gunners-ahead-of-champions-league-final/
The Champions league final between Arsenal and Barcelona will be played in Lisbon, Portugal on Saturday May 24th at 17:00 UK time. It will be broadcast on TNT Sports in the UK and on DAZN elsewhere.
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