Bayern, Chelsea & Co: Top clashes for the Violets in the UWCL

In the league phase of the UEFA Women’s Champions League, the Violets have six clashes ahead of them. Away from home, they will face Chelsea FC, Benfica and Manchester City. In their three home matches, the Violets will take on Bayern Munich, Juventus and Inter Milan. The match dates will be confirmed on Saturday 5 September. Full details of the group stage format can be found here.

In just a few weeks’ time, the action will kick off for a total of 18 teams from across Europe: the group stage of the UEFA Women’s Champions League begins, heralding several weeks of thrilling clashes. On Friday, the draw took place in Nyon, Switzerland, with each club being drawn against two opponents from each of the three pots.

The Violets have been drawn against one or two teams that are sure to set many football fans’ hearts racing. At the Franz-Horr-Stadion, Austria will host Bayern Munich (Pot 1), Juventus (Pot 2) and Inter Milan (Pot 3). In their away fixtures, they will face Chelsea (Pot 1), Benfica (Pot 2) and Manchester City (Pot 3).

Reactions to the draw

Carina Wenninger, captain: “We’ve got some brilliant opponents waiting for us at home in Vienna – some really big names, and certainly very appealing for our fans. We knew it would be tough against any opponent, but especially from Pot 3 it could have been easier, at least on paper. Travelling to England twice – currently the benchmark in the game – will be brilliant, and for me personally, the match against Bayern will of course be very emotional. I’m also really looking forward to it from a fan’s perspective. All in all, we’ve got a fantastic group stage ahead of us.”

Jasmin Pal: “The clash with Bayern Munich is going to be really, really cool. We know we’re incredibly strong at home, and I’m sure that, especially in Vienna, we can make life difficult for any opponent. With the Italian teams, there are two more local derbies; we know Juventus well from our matches against St. Pölten, whilst Inter, like us, are newcomers to the Champions League – that’ll be a great experience too. It couldn’t have been tougher away from home, but some real highlight matches await us and we’ll try to make a lasting impression on the world’s biggest stage.”

Stefan Kenesei, manager: “The draw could hardly have been tougher. At the same time, some really big names and opponents await us; there’ll be fantastic matches at our home ground, the Franz-Horr-Stadion, as well as away – both at home and away, there’ll be a real Champions League atmosphere. We wanted to reach the league phase to play against the biggest teams; now we can prove ourselves.”

Match dates

It all kicks off in just under three weeks with the first match of the group stage. The exact match dates will be finalised and announced by UEFA on Saturday 5 September.

• Matchday 1: 22/23 September
• Matchday 2: 30 September/1 October
• Matchday 3: 28/29 October
• Matchday 4: 10/11 November
• Matchday 5: 18/19 November
• Matchday 6: 16 December

Format

During the league phase, all 18 teams will compete against one another in a single league table. After Matchday 6, the top four clubs will progress directly to the quarter-finals. The teams ranked 5th to 12th will take part in the knockout-stage play-offs and compete against one another for the remaining four places in the quarter-finals. All other clubs from 13th place onwards will be eliminated.

Ticket information

Information on ticket sales will follow early next week across all Austria channels.