Previews
MIÉ 29.03.2017
"There are still 90 minutes to play and we're going to put our life and soul into it. We want to make history." Those were the words of Alexia Putellas in Malmo after the 1-0 first-leg win. FC Barcelona do battle with FC Rosengard today at 19:00 (CET) at the Miniestadi in the second leg of their Women's Champions League quarter-final tie. Xavi Llorens's charges are one step away from making history. No female Spanish outfit has ever reached the semi-finals of Europe's premier club competition.
Barcelona were the better side in Malmo, where they dominated possession, leaving the Swedes little option but to defend and wait for their moment, which never came. Leila Ouahabi scored what would prove to be the only goal of the game on the stroke of half-time, while the only blotch on the performance was Andressa Alves's injury. The Brazilian star suffered ankle ligament damage and is ruled out of the return leg. The more defensively minded Melanie Serrano is set to fill in for her, although Llorens explained ahead of the game that he still plans to adopt a similar system to the one deployed in the first leg, consisting of three centre-backs and two wing-backs.
We're ready! #FCBFemeni #UWCL pic.twitter.com/L9qv0zBQuY
— FCB Femení (@FCBfemeni) March 29, 2017
Lotta Schelin is another notable absentee, due to the injury that she picked up when the two sides met last week. The striker is Sweden's all-time record goalscorer and has been one of Rosengard's in-form players, although Marta remains their star performer. "The second leg will be very different. We've got to work our socks off and win. It's very important for us to come through this tie," stressed the Brazilian in a recent interview with LaLiga.
Admission is free and the players will be hoping to see the attendance figure trump the 8,369 that turned out at the Miniestadi last season for the Champions League quarter-final first leg against PSG. "We're excited about trying to make history," stated Llorens ahead of the crucial clash. Barcelona are just 90 minutes away from a semi-final berth and finding themselves among the best four sides in Europe.
© LALIGA - 2017