The Real Madrid Femenino is experiencing its first big test

Real Madrid Femenino will have its first big test of the season this Tuesday to check the ambition of its new project when it visits (9:00 p.m.) the powerful English Chelsea at Stamford Bridge at the start of the group stage of the 2024 Champions League. 2025.

The Madrid team begins its fourth adventure in the top continental competition and does so with a difficult exit against one of the great favorites for the throne of FC Barcelona, ​​whom it knows well because it has run into him in its last two participations, where it has not been able to beat him.

Thus, in the 2022-2023 season, the team coached by Alberto Toril fell 2-0 in London and tied by one goal at the Alfredo di Stéfano, the same result they had last season in their fiefdom, while in the English capital fell again (2-1). Games in which he had a hard time against a very experienced opponent who is once again the favorite in his group.

In any case, Real Madrid goes to Stamford Bridge with hope in search of starting in the best possible way a European tour that they hope will bring them more joy than in the previous two participations. After shining in his debut in the Champions League, topping the group and falling in the quarterfinals against Barça, he was unable to do so in the next two, with a certain excuse in 22-23 because he was paired with Chelsea and PSG, and without it in the 23-24 where they were not able to win any game and only added one point despite having theoretically affordable rivals this time such as the French Paris FC and the Swedish Hacken.

Now, the club has invested in the team taking another step forward both nationally and in Europe, and the first test of its commitment will come precisely this week where after this duel against Chelsea, it will have an important derby at home against Atlético from Madrid next Sunday.

So far, the start of the season has been promising, with full victories in their seven games played, and with a squad where they have gained international experience with signings such as the German Melanie Leupolz, who will be reunited with her former Chelsea players, or the French Maelle Lakrar.

In addition, they once again have a differential soccer player like the Scottish Caroline Weir, already recovered from the serious knee injury that left her without competing last season. These three names are emerging as headlines at Stamford Bridge, where Toril will not be able to count on the support of French midfielder Sandie Toletti, who was injured in last Friday’s victory against Valencia (1-0), a match in which Misa Rodríguez rotated in goal and players like Linda Caicedo.

CHELSEA, RIVAL TO BEAT

Opposite, a Chelsea that is once again a clear candidate to fight for a title that FC Barcelona has denied it in recent editions. The London team, currently the great dominator of the English Super League which it has won in the last five years, has been a semi-finalist in three of the last four editions, in which it was always defeated by the Blaugranas, both in the 2021 final (4- 0) as in the last two semifinals.

The English champion, more rested because he did not play this weekend, has a significant absence such as that of the Australian forward Sam Kerr, recovering from a serious knee injury, in addition to that of Leupolz and that of her charismatic coach, Emma Hayes , now replaced by the award-winning Sonia Bompastor. The Englishwoman Lucy Bronze, formerly of Barça, has arrived to further strengthen the ‘blues’ defensively, where the Spanish Júlia Bartel and Alejandra Bernabé are.

“For me and for the technical team that has arrived, it is the first time that we face Real Madrid. I know that it is one of the most competitive teams in the Spanish league and that it has many talented players. They love having the ball, so It will be a difficult game and we are prepared for it,” Bopastor warned in the preview.

TECHNICAL SHEET.

–POSIBLE ALIGNMENTS.

CHELSEA: Hampton; Bronze, Bright, Buchanan, Lawrence; Cuthbert, Nuesken; Rytting Kaneryd, James, Reiten; y Ramírez.

REAL MADRID: Rodríguez; Hernández, Lakrar, Méndez, Carmona; Leupolz, Abelleira; Caicedo, Weir, Del Castillo; y Bruun.

–REFEREE: Ivana Martincic (CRO).

–ESTADIO: Stamford Bridge.

–TIME: 21.00/DAZN.