FC Barcelona v Arsenal – Stat Attack | OneFootball

The UEFA Women’s Champions League’s group stage gets underway on Tuesday with Arsenal travelling to Spain to face European champions FC Barcelona in their opening game.

The Gunners have already negotiated their way beyond FC Okhetpes, PSV and Slavia Prague in this season’s competition and their involvement in the group stage allows the North Londoners to test themselves against Europe’s elite clubs.

Ahead of the match, FAWSL Full-Time have been looking at the UEFA statistics surrounding the fixture. Here are four facts which relate to Arsenal’s opening group game against FC Barcelona.

UEFA Women’s Champions League defeats are few and far between

European champions FC Barcelona go into their opening group fixture having lost just three of their last 23 UEFA Women’s Champions League matches. Meanwhile, Arsenal have won 12 of their last 15 games in the competition, losing the other three. You can’t associate either side with defeats in European football’s biggest club competition.

Arsenal were victorious over FC Barcelona back in 2012

FC Barcelona and Arsenal have met before in the UEFA Women’s Champions League. The pair met in the last-16 in 2012 with Arsenal running out 7-0 winners on aggregate.  The Gunners won the first leg in Spain 3-0 thanks to goals from Jen Beattie, Jordan Nobbs and Katie Chapman. The North Londoners were then 4-0 winners back on home soil with Beattie bagging a hat-trick and Kim Little also getting on the scoresheet.

The Gunners must settle quickly at the Estadi Johan Cruyff

FC Barcelona netted in the opening 15 minutes of six of their nine UEFA Women’s Champions League matches last season, including against Chelsea in the final in Gothenburg. The Spaniards have conceded one goal or less in 21 of their last 23 competition matches meaning that Arsenal will face an even greater task if they concede early on in Spain.

Draws are a rarity in the UEFA Women’s Champions League for these two clubs

FC Barcelona go into their latest match having drawn just one of their last 39 games in the UEFA Women’s Champions League. Arsenal have not drawn a UEFA Women’s Champions League game for a decade when they were held by Spanish club Rayo Vallecano in Madrid in a last-16 first leg tie. The Gunners have gone 28 UEFA Women’s Champions League games without a draw. With both teams specialising in attacking football, a draw seems unlikely in this week’s meeting.

The UEFA Women’s Champions League group fixture between FC Barcelona and Arsenal kicks-off at 8pm on Tuesday evening.

Statistics: UEFA Press Kit