Women's Champions League draw: Our verdict on quarter-finals as Man City play Barca and Chelsea draw Wolfsburg

Manchester City will face Barcelona in the Women’s Champions League quarter-finals, while Chelsea will take on last season’s runners-up Wolfsburg, with the race for the title wide open.

Both English clubs avoided holders Lyon in the draw for the last eight, but Manchester City could have to face the dominant French side in the semi-finals if they beat Barcelona.

The draw for the semi-finals was also conducted on Friday and pitted Lyon in the same half of the draw as Gareth Taylor’s team, which also ensured the two British sides cannot possibly face each other before the final.

Lyon, who are bidding for a sixth consecutive European title, will first have to overcome their domestic rivals Paris St-Germain or Sparta Prague, whose last-16 tie will conclude on March 17 with the PSG 5-0 up from their first leg.

No British side has reached the final since Arsenal won the quadruple in 2007, but Chelsea fans will feel they now have the slightly more favourable route through the draw than Manchester City, albeit both draws look very tough.

If Chelsea beat German side Wolfsburg, their potential path to the final sees them meet either Bayern Munich or Rosengard in the last four.

Five-time finalists Wolfsburg have great pedigree in this competition, having won it in consecutive years in 2013 and 2014, but they are arguably not as strong as in previous campaigns. They sold their best player — Denmark’s Pernille Harder — to Chelsea last summer for a world-record fee in the women’s game.

Bayern Munich have dominated the Bundesliga this season with a 100 per cent win record and will be expected to reach the semi-finals as one of the competition's favourites.

Manchester City’s last-eight opponents Barcelona have also won all of their domestic league matches so far this season and will provide formidable opposition for Taylor’s in-form team.

The first legs will be played on March 23-24, before the second legs a week later.

The question of course now is, in one of the most wide-open races for the European title in modern times, who will progress?

What happens next?

Bayern Munich vs Rosengard
With 15 wins from 15 in the Bundesliga so far this campaign, Bayern are a force to be reckoned with. They have arguably the easiest draw available at this stage, with Rosengard having a proud history but the Swedish division not currently seeing anywhere near the same level of financial power that is available to some of the favourites for this competition.
Verdict: Bayern Munich

Sparta Prague or Paris St-Germain vs Lyon
You could say that only a fool would not back Lyon to reach the semi-finals, after winning the Champions League five times in a row, but this writer is prepared to be that fool because this year feels like the year where their incredible reign will finally end. After years of being the bridesmaids of French women’s football and suffering repeated, narrow defeats to Lyon by single goals or penalties, Paris St-Germain currently lead the way in the French league this term, unbeaten. That comes after a rare win of Lyon in November, which was their rivals’ first defeat in almost four years. Is it time for a changing of the guard at last? We might just see a big, big shock.
Verdict: Paris St-Germain

Barcelona vs Manchester City
This tie is far too close to call, but the experience of World Cup winners Sam Mewis, Abby Dahlkemper and Rose Lavelle might just give the English side a slight edge. Expect it to be extremely close though, perhaps settled by away goals or even penalties. It promises to be a box-office encounter, between two of the best football-playing sides in the world. It’s the sort of meeting that this competition’s organisers and sponsors have been craving and it is a huge shame that supporters will not be allowed into the stands. Expect high drama and a terrific highlights reel.
Verdict: Manchester City

Chelsea vs Wolfsburg
Wolfsburg have previously been something of a nemesis for Chelsea in Europe, having been knocked out by them three years running between 2015-16 and their semi-final meeting in 2017/18. However, Emma Hayes’ side are a different beast now, fuelled with free-flowing fire-power up front after the arrivals of Harder and Sam Kerr, along with a resurgent, fit-again Fran Kirby. They have assembled a squad built for the purpose of ruling Europe and this year represents their best chance yet.
Verdict: Chelsea

Semi-final draw

Sparta Prague / PSG or Lyon vs Barcelona or Manchester City
Bayern Munich or Rosengard vs Chelsea or Wolfsburg
Semi-final verdicts: Predicting a final feels near-impossible as so many of ties will be on a knife-edge, but PSG vs Chelsea is a potential match-up for May's showdown in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Key dates

Quarter-finals: March 23/24 & 31 March 31/April 1
Semi-finals: April 24/25 & May 1/1
Final: May 16 (Gothenburg)