Barcelona v Arsenal preview: Pajor in record form as Barça seek revenge for 2025 final
Barcelona v Arsenal at Camp Nou is the first meeting since Arsenal won the 2025 final. Perfect Barça sit second, unbeaten Arsenal fifth.
Barcelona v Arsenal at Camp Nou tonight is the first meeting since the Gunners stunned the Catalans in the 2025 Women’s Champions League final, and the league-phase stakes are high for both.
Kick-off is 17:45 UK time on Thursday. The game was pushed back a day from Wednesday because of a general strike in Spain, and Croatian referee Ivana Martinčić takes charge.
Barcelona v Arsenal: where the sides stand
Pere Romeu’s Barcelona are the only side with a perfect record after three matches. They beat Paris FC 5-2, thrashed Roma 6-0 in the Italian capital and then won 8-0 at HB Køge. That is 19 goals scored and two conceded, both in the opener.
They sit second on nine points, a point behind OL Lyonnes, who have played a game more. Our Juventus v Lyon preview explained why the French side remain the benchmark.
Renée Slegers’ Arsenal are fifth on seven points and still unbeaten. A late home win over Køge was followed by a 3-0 victory against Benfica at Borehamwood, where Alessia Russo scored a hat-trick. They then let a two-goal lead slip at Paris FC and drew 2-2, the same Paris FC side that lost 3-0 in our Real Madrid 3-0 Paris FC report.
| Key numbers | Barcelona | Arsenal |
|---|---|---|
| League-phase position | 2nd | 5th |
| Points (played) | 9 (3) | 7 (3) |
| Record | W3 D0 L0 | W2 D1 L0 |
| Goal difference | +17 | +4 |
| Last meeting | Arsenal 1-0, 2025 final, Lisbon | |
Team news
Barcelona are reported to be without defender Laia Aleixandri, while Patricia Guijarro is expected to return after being rested against Madrid CFF. Ewa Pajor arrives having scored in eight straight Champions League appearances, matching the competition record, and Caroline Graham Hansen has scored in each of her last four league-phase games.
Arsenal are reportedly missing Mariona Caldentey, and Stina Blackstenius, the scorer in Lisbon, is expected to sit this one out. Former Barcelona full-back Ona Batlle is in line to start against her old club. According to Sky Sports, Russo has scored Arsenal’s last seven goals.
Revenge on the agenda
Barcelona have reached seven of the last eight finals, but Blackstenius’s goal off the bench denied them in 2025. Several of Arsenal’s starters from that night are still regulars under Slegers.
Barça have also won every one of their group-stage and league-phase home games, reports suggest. Slegers has warned her players they must be ready to suffer without the ball, and she called nights like this what her squad lives for.
Domestically, Arsenal are six points off the Women’s Super League top three and twelve behind leaders Manchester City. They are unbeaten in five in all competitions, though, and a draw in Barcelona would keep them firmly in the race for a top-four finish. Elsewhere this round, our PSG v Bayern preview looks at another unbeaten pair.
Women’s football is booming beyond Europe too. Our sister site DGBN has covered how Nigeria rewarded its teenage world champions: Tinubu hands each Flamingo N100m in savings bonds.
