Group A
Lyon, Wolfsburg, Roma, Galatasaray
Back-to-back Serie A champions Roma looked the strongest of the teams lurking in Pot 3 of this draw, and therefore whichever group they were thrown into was always likely to be the most competitive. That certainly feels true of this intriguing group, which will not be easy for record eight-times winners Lyon or six-time finalists Wolfsburg to navigate. The Italian side will have learned from their experience in Europe last season, which included two engrossing draws against Bayern Munich.
Debutants Galatasaray, whose squad includes one of the stars of Colombia’s run to the 2023 World Cup quarter-finals in Catalina Usme, will also be no pushovers. Lyon, last season’s runners-up and now managed by the former Arsenal head coach Joe Montemurro, will be expected to progress, however, and should have more than enough experience to do so. But whether the same can be said for a Wolfsburg side that lost the Germany midfielder Lena Oberdorf, the Poland forward Ewa Pajor and the Netherlands defender Dominique Janssen this summer is not so certain. To progress: Lyon and Roma.
Group B
Chelsea, Real Madrid, FC Twente, Celtic
All concerned with Chelsea will no doubt speak respectfully about their opponents in this group but the reality is that the Women’s Super League champions will be delighted with how the draw panned out for them. They have avoided some of the longer away trips in that two of their opponents are fewer than 400 miles from London Real Madrid’s relatively disappointing record in this competition also makes them, theoretically at least, the kinder of the two sides Chelsea could have been draw to face from Pot 2.
Chelsea’s new manager, Sonia Bompastor, has experience of winning this competition and her side will be among the favourites to do so. Elena Sadiku’s Celtic have made history by qualifying for the group stage for the first time, but reaching the knockout stages will be a tall order. Twente, the Eredivisie champions, could give Real a run for their money, though. To progress: Chelsea and Real Madrid.
Group C
Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Juventus, Vålerenga
Back in the group stages after a one-year absence, Arsenal have been handed the trickiest draw of the three English clubs. Nonetheless, they still have an excellent chance of progressing to the knockout stages. Their meetings with Bayern Munich will bring back memories of 2023’s high-quality quarter-final, which Arsenal won 2-1 on aggregate, but Bayern have strengthened well since then and they will be a formidable force in Europe this season.
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Juventus produced the standout result of the qualifying rounds, stunning Paris Saint-Germain to knock out last season’s semi-finalists, and the Norwegian champions, Vålerenga, will not simply be making up the numbers either, so this will be a testing group for Jonas Eidevall’s team. Yet they and Bayern, given their resources, will be expected to deliver. To progress: Arsenal and Bayern Munich.
Group D
Barcelona, Manchester City, St Pölten, Hammarby
Manchester City are involved in the group stages for the first time since the competition’s format was changed in 2021 and they will be eager to make up for lost time. Their games against Barcelona will be a repeat of their quarter-final meeting in the 2020-21 campaign, when the Catalan side went on to lift the first of their three European titles. That tantalising match-up could also see Gareth Taylor’s side face the former Manchester City players Keira Walsh and Ellie Roebuck, not to mention the Ballon d’or winner Aitana Bonmatí.
Those head-to-head contests should provide great entertainment. However, on the evidence of how comfortably City dispatched Paris FC during the qualifying process, and recollecting the St Pölten’s 7-0 loss to Lyon in this competition last season, there could well be some one-sided scorelines in this group, and it would be a huge shock if City and Barcelona did not qualify for the knockout stages. To progress: Manchester City and Barcelona.