Sports Mole previews Thursday’s Women’s Champions League clash between St Polten Women and Barcelona Women, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
European champions Barcelona Women will head on their travels for Thursday’s Women’s Champions League encounter against St Polten in Vienna.
The Catalan giants are sitting in second spot in Group D, while St Polten are languishing at the bottom of the standings after failing to take anything from their three group matches.
Match preview
St Polten are competing among the final 16 teams for the fourth time in five seasons after they successfully negotiated their way through qualifying.
However, the Austrian side are already on the brink of a group-stage exit after losing their three matches by a combined 12-2 scoreline.
St Polten fell to a 2-0 defeat in their away meeting with Hammarby, before they gave up a 2-1 lead to lose 3-2 to Manchester City in their second group game.
While they may have run Man City close, St Polten were unable to repeat the feat in last week’s trip to Barcelona, as they conceded seven goals without reply in a one-sided affair on matchday three.
With six points separating them from Barcelona, the Austrian champions are left with the near-impossible task of beating the Catalan giants if they want to keep their quarter-final hopes alive for the final two group games.
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Barcelona have embarked on a seven-game winning run in all competitions since suffering a 2-0 defeat in their UWCL opener against Man City.
Two of those seven victories have taken place in the UWCL group stage, with the Catalan giants recording dominant home wins over Hammarby and St Polten.
After thrashing Hammarby 9-0 on matchday two, Barcelona went on to record a 7-0 victory in last week’s meeting with the Austrian champions, largely thanks to braces from Ewa Pajor and Claudia Pina.
Having taken six points from a possible nine, the reigning European champions are currently three points clear of third-placed Hammarby and three points adrift of leaders Man City at the halfway point of the group stage.
Barcelona will certainly travel to Austria in a positive mood after they cruised to a 4-0 away win in Saturday’s Clasico against Real Madrid, with Patri Guijarro netting a brace alongside goals from Pina and Alexia Putellas.
Thursday’s visitors may have lost their most recent UWCL away game against Man City, but they have managed to win seven of their previous nine European away meetings, and they will be heavy favourites to record another victory on their travels on matchday four.
St Polten Women form (all competitions):
Barcelona Women Women’s Champions League form:
Barcelona Women form (all competitions):
Team News
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St Polten boss Celia Brancao is likely to select a back four of Rita Schumacher, Anna Johanning, Tea Vracevic and Chiara D’Angelo.
Midfielder Tea Krznaric could be considered for a starting spot after she featured as a half-time substitute at the Estadi Johan Cruyff last week.
Having scored three goals in her last four league appearances, Turkey international Melike Pekel will try to transfer her domestic form onto the European stage.
As for the visitors, they are expected to be without the services of Fridolina Rolfo and Salma Paralluelo due to their respective injury issues.
Barcelona boss Pere Romeu may decide to select the same lineup that started the 4-0 victory over Clasico rivals Real Madrid.
Pina will be looking to continue her fine form after scoring seven goals in Barcelona’s last seven matches in all competitions.
St Polten Women possible starting lineup:
Schluter; Schumacher, Johanning, Vracevic, D’Angelo; Dubcova, Hillebrand, Mikolajova; Brunnthaler, Pekel, Madl
Barcelona Women possible starting lineup:
Coll; J. Fernandez, Engen, Leon, Batlle; Bonmati, Guijarro, Putellas; Graham, Pina, Pajor
We say: St Polten Women 0-4 Barcelona Women
Barcelona made light work of St Polten in last week’s home meeting, and while home advantage may now be in the Austrian side’s favour, we still believe the Catalan giants will have far too much quality which is why we can only see them claiming another comfortable victory.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
