Article #5377

Race to reach the final begins with an all-English battle and Lyon facing Bayern Munich’s steely defence

After a three-month wait for restless fans since the conclusion of the group stage, Europe’s top clubs finally return to continental action this week as the Women’s Champions League quarter-finals get under way. The main question on everybody’s mind between now and the final in Lisbon on 24 May is: can anybody stop Barcelona?

The defending champions are bidding to reach a fifth consecutive final and win the title for the third year in a row, but they did not complete the group stage with a perfect record – only Chelsea and Lyon did – and provided a rare glimpse of their mortality with an away defeat against Manchester City in October.