Women's Champions League begins with reinforced Barcelona going for third straight title

MADRID (AP) — Barcelona will go for its third straight Women's Champions League title with a squad boosted by Poland star striker Ewa Pajor and with Aitana Bonmatí and Alexia Putellas on new contracts.

The group stage begins on Tuesday and the Catalan side is trying to become only the second team after Lyon to win three straight titles or reach five straight finals.

Barcelona beat Lyon in last season's final, when Ballon d’Or winners Bonmatí and Putellas each scored. Both had their club contracts extended.

Pajor, who joined from Wolfsburg, was the competition's top scorer in 2022-23 as the German club reached a final that it lost to Barcelona despite a goal by her.

In her nine seasons with Wolfsburg, Pajor won 14 titles and scored 136 times despite a series of injuries. She was not able to win a Champions League even though she played in three finals and was part of a run to another.

Barcelona has also added Kika Nazareth from Portuguese club Benfica.

Their first game is on Wednesday against Group D rival Manchester City in a rematch of the 2020-21 quarterfinals, where Barcelona triumphed after a 4-2 first-leg win and a 2-1 second-leg defeat in what was its only loss that campaign.

Barcelona's squad also includes former City players Keira Walsh and Ellie Roebuck.

“It’s the first time I’ve been been back to Manchester since I left,” Walsh said on Monday. “I know I have a professional job to do and it won’t be an easy game, but it will be nice to have all my friends and family in the stands.”

Lyon’s firepower takes on Galatasaray

It could prove a busy night on Tuesday for Galatasaray’s defense and goalkeeper Gamze Yaman.

Group A opponent Lyon boasts the all-time top scorer in the Women’s Champions League, Ada Hegerberg, who has two seasons of 50-plus goals during her 10-year spell at the club.

The Norway striker, who won the first women’s Ballon d’Or, has 64 competition goals, while teammate Eugénie Le Sommer, third on the all-time list, needs two to reach 50.

They form the spine of the team with captain Wendie Renard, the Women’s Champions League record-holder for appearances with 116.

Lyon has been in good scoring touch so far, netting 16 goals in its first three French league games, with American midfielder Lindsey Horan getting five and France striker Kadidiatou Diani scoring two.

French hopes rest on Lyon after Paris Saint-Germain — a semifinalist last season — was eliminated by Juventus in qualifying.

Lyon is the competition’s record eight-time winner but last won the trophy in 2022. It was runner-up last season to Barcelona.

The club hired a new coach in June, with Australian Joseph Montemurro replacing Frenchwoman Sonia Bompastor, who joined Chelsea.

The contrast in experience between the sides is noticeable. Galatasaray’s team was founded in 2011 and the senior team started only in 2021.

Galatasaray will be making its competition debut after a qualifying run that included triumphs over former quarterfinalist Slavia Praha.

It is the first Turkish team to get to the group stage. It won its first national title last season in only its third campaign.

Wolfsburg starts against Roma

Two-time champion Wolfsburg begins its Group A campaign on Tuesday at Italian champion Roma, which drew with the German club on its last visit two years ago.

Both teams will want to make a good start with Lyon and Galatasaray the other group teams.

Wolfsburg warmed up by routing Leipzig 5-0 in the Bundesliga on Friday, when Alexandra Popp set up three goals. Popp announced her international retirement last week, meaning her focus is fully on leading Wolfsburg to more honors.

She is just two games away from becoming the second player to reach 100 Champions League appearances, after Wendie Renard.

Wolfsburg is unbeaten in five away meetings against Italian sides, but Roma is unbeaten in 14 home games in all competitions.

Chelsea without Hayes

Life after Emma Hayes has started well for Chelsea.

Hayes left to take over the United States women's team in the offseason and carried on her winning ways by taking gold at the Paris Olympics.

After 14 major titles, she left big shoes for her replacement Bompastor to fill, but it has been an impressive start for the former Lyon coach.

Chelsea opened its Super League campaign by beating Aston Villa 1-0 followed by routing Crystal Palace 7-0.

First up for the Blues in Group B is a home game on Tuesday with Real Madrid, which has made a perfect start in the Spanish league, winning five out of five to trail leader Barcelona on goal difference.

Bayern's momentum

One-time champion Arsenal faces a tough opening Group C match on Wednesday at two-time defending German champion Bayern, which has made a seven-game winning start to the season, including a 1-0 victory over Wolfsburg in the German Supercup.

A 1-0 win over Cologne on Saturday stretched Bayern’s unbeaten run in the Bundesliga to 44 games.

Bayern and Arsenal met two seasons ago, when the Bavarian powerhouse won 1-0 in Munich but lost 2-0 in London.

Arsenal has been boosted by the arrivals of Mariona Caldentey from Barcelona and Rosa Kafaji from BK Häcken, as well as Netherlands goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar from Aston Villa.

The other teams in Group C are Vålerenga and Juventus.

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Associated Press writers Jerome Pugmire, James Robson and Ciaran Fahey contributed to this report.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Tales Azzoni, The Associated Press