💫 ❓ Four questions ahead of the UWCL semi-finals | OneFootball

It’s time for the Women’s Champions League semi-final first legs!

And here are four big questions we have ahead of this weekend’s action …

Can Sam Kerr finally find Champions League form?

There is no debating it, Sam Kerr is one of the best strikers on the planet. And her record of five goals in eight Champions League games this season doesn’t look bad at first glance. But scratch the surface and, while so reliable domestically, she has not ever quite given Chelsea the goals they need in Europe.

Four of her five in the competition this season came in a single game against Vllaznia and the other came against PSG in the final group game when Chelsea were already safely through. Otherwise, there have been two blanks against Real Madrid, one in Paris, and 210 minutes without scoring against Lyon.

Last season she scored three of her four goals in the competition against Servette, netting just once in four games against Juventus and Wolfsburg as Chelsea crashed out in the group stage,  and even in 2020/21, having scored in each leg of the quarter-final win over Wolfsburg, she did not net in over 250 minutes across the semi-final and final.

That final, of course, saw Chelsea humiliated 4-0 by Barcelona and this weekend marks the first time the sides have met since. What better time for Kerr to score a big goal on the big stage?

Will Barcelona assert themselves away from home?

Barcelona are superb. But mostly at home. Well that’s not fair, they are also fantastic away from home, but if there is anything about them that is not quite perfect it is their form away in big Champions League games.

They looked shaky in the narrow 1-0 quarter-final win in Rome and lost 3-1 in Munich in this season’s group stage.

They lost in Wolfsburg in last season’s semi-final second leg, though it was a bit of a dead rubber, and failed to beat Manchester City and PSG away in 2020/21 on their way to winning the competition. And they were also, of course, convincingly beaten by Lyon on neutral ground in last season’s final.

There is something utterly staggering about Barcelona’s quality but the extent of their dominance when they play at home but it hasn’t been quite the same on their travels against top opposition.

And formidable as they are at home, they will not want to head into the second leg playing catch up.

Can injury-ravaged Arsenal stay in the tie?

Beth Mead, then Vivianne Miedema. Then Kim Little. And now Leah Williamson. Four guaranteed Arsenal starters are out, three having suffered ruptures ACLs, and a fifth in Caitlin Foord is racing to be fit for Sunday’s first leg at Wolfsburg.

It is far from ideal as the Gunners return to a ground they were outplayed in just last season.

They have come a long way since then, especially considering the outrageously unfortunate injury list, as things have appeared to click recently.

Jonas Eidevall’s side have navigated serious injuries well to date but the sheer number of absentees is bound to catch up eventually and maybe the first signs of that were clear in midweek as they lost to Manchestr United.

There are still crucial players available — Rafaelle, Lia Wälti who was badly missed in midfield in this fixture 13 months ago, and Frida Maanum who is arguably player of the season — but a result is a tall ask.

With tickets firing out the door for the return leg — 45,000 have been sold already — they need to just stay in the tie and not lose anyone else before having a crack at the Emirates.

Do Wolfsburg know their best team?

Sveindís Jane Jónsdóttir consistently looks a threat when she plays but no Wolfsburg player has been subbed on more often this season. Jule Brand, the rising star of German football a year ago, isn’t far behind.

Then there’s Alex Popp and Ewa Pajor and Tabea Waßmuth banging in goals up front, there’s Pauline Bremer on the bench, and just behind all of them there’s Jill Roord from midfield.

The amount of attacking talent at Wolfsburg is incredible but it means big names are regularly rotated or end up missing out as Tommy Stroot looks to keep everyone happy. That might keep the players as content as possible but it can threaten to upset the balance. When it clicks, it’s great, but does it click enough?

Jónsdóttir netted twice in the 5-0 win over Bayern in the cup last week, Brand also scored, but when those two start there isn’t room for Popp and Pajor.

It’s all about balance as they host Arsenal with the aim of taking a lead to London for the second leg.