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Marrakech – After back-to-back semi-finals meetings in the 23-24 and 24-25 Women’s Champions League seasons, Chelsea host Barcelona once more tonight in a blockbuster league phase clash.
In the race for a top-four finish, which guarantees direct qualification to the quarter-finals, the two European giants meet tonight in a doubly important match.
After three games played, both teams boast an undefeated record. The Blues, after stumbling away at FC Twente in a 1-1 draw in the opening matchday, bounced back with dominant wins against Paris FC and St. Polten, scoring a combined ten goals over the two fixtures while keeping clean sheets. As things currently stand, Chelsea rank fifth in the league phase, one spot away from the sought-after positions.
Barcelona, currently third, boast a perfect record with three wins in as many matches. The Catalans began their campaign with a 7-1 thrashing of Bayern Munich, followed by victories over Roma and Belgian side Oud-Heverlee Leuven. In the case of a win, the three-time Champions League winners will finish Matchday 4 at the top of the league phase table.
It’s Barcelona at the Bridge! ✊🔵#CFCW pic.twitter.com/Vw4beuIEYr
— Chelsea FC Women (@ChelseaFCW) November 20, 2025
Match Details:
- Fixture: Chelsea FC Women vs FC Barcelona Femeni
- Competition: UEFA Women’s Champions League, League Phase, Matchday 4
- Venue: Stamford Bridge – London, United Kingdom
- Date: Thursday, Nov 20
- Kick-off: 21:00 (GMT+1)
- Referee: Tess Olofsson (Sweden)
How & where to watch
The match will be available on beIN Sports (MENA), Paramount+ (USA), BBC Two (UK).
Chelsea Team News
Sonia Bompastor’s side will be without Sam Kerr. The star Australian centre-forward, who has recently come back from a nearly two-year-long absence after a major knee surgery, is being carefully managed to avoid any risks of a relapse.
Bompastor said that her star forward’s absence is nothing to worry about. “It’s just a case of managing her [Sam Kerr] comeback. She got 90 minutes [against St Polten] and it was part of the plan for her to rest a little bit after that and not be involved in the following two games,” the Chelsea head coach said.
England international Lauren James, on the other hand, could be set to start tonight against the Blaugrana. The winger, recently recovered from a malleolar ankle injury, made appearances off the bench in both of Chelsea’s last two games, but is “in a good place to start” tonight, according to Bompastor.
“She’s available to start the game against Barcelona, probably not fully fit to play 90 minutes, but yeah, she’s in a good place to start.”
James’ start could be a much-needed attacking boost for the London side, whose attack has lacked dynamism at times this season. Over the weekend’s Women’s Super League action, The Blues only managed to score one goal against a largely inferior Liverpool side.
Tonight, against a much tougher opponent, Bompastor will need James’s dribbling ability and pace to create danger from wide positions.
Chelsea Predicted XI (4-3-3): Hampton- Bronze, Bright, Bjorn, Charles- Walsh, Cuthbert, Kaptein- Thompson, James, Macario
Barcelona Team News
The Blaugrana are coming off a statement 4-0 win against rivals Real Madrid on November 15. Despite the departure of many key figures over the summer, Barca have started the season strongly. The Catalan side have won 13 of their 14 matches this season and, once more, look like the team to beat in Europe.
In the two teams’ previous meetings, Barcelona has come out on top five times out of seven. The last meeting happened during the 2024-2025 Women’s Champions League semi-finals, where Aitana Bonmati and her teammates handed The Blues a heavy 8-2 aggregate scoreline after two legs.
Barcelona head coach Pere Romeu talked down previous results against Chelsea: “It’s difficult to beat Chelsea, but it’s even harder to do it again,” he said. “The last few times we’ve won thanks to our style of play, and if we play a complete game tomorrow, we’ll be closer to winning again.”
Barca will be without two key starters tonight. Spanish international Patri Guijarro is out until January with a foot fracture, leaving a significant gap in the Catalans’ midfield. Forward Salma Paralluelo, another Spanish international, is also ruled out as she recovers from a knee ligament injury that has sidelined her since October.
Nevertheless, Romeu still has a depth of quality at his disposal. The midfield duo of Alexia Putellas and Aitana Bonmati is widely considered one of the best partnerships in women’s football history, and the Blaugrana attack is bolstered by Ewa Pajor’s return from injury.
Barcelona Predicted XI (4-3-3): Coll- Battle, Paredes, Leon, Brugts- Alexandri, Bonmati, Putellas- Pina, Pajor, Lopez
- Score Prediction: Chelsea 1 – 3 Barcelona
