Real Madrid Femenino vs Barcelona Femeni is the next quarter final in this year's UEFA Women's Champions League. Femenino will play host to rivals Barcelona Women in an El Clasico contest that has a semi-final place at stake.

Real Madrid Femenino vs Barcelona Femeni: Match Preview:

The defending champions, Barcelona Femeni have dominated their clashes against Real Madrid, winning all five competative meetings between the two. The last clash between the two was two weeks ago where Barcelona thrashed their quarter-final opponents 5-0 to retain the Spanish title.

Barcelona will be classed as huge favourites going into this tie, Real Madrid know they will need to produce a strong performance in the Spanish capital ahead of the second leg at the Nou Camp which could see a new world record for the crowd at a women's club football match.

Real Madrid Women have been playing hot and cold in the league and they have managed to win four of their last six matches in the Champions League. They are poor at the back, having allowed 28 goals in the last 23 league matches while scoring 35. In the last Champions League match, they enjoyed a 3-0 victory over Kharkiv.

Team News:

Real Madrid Femenino:

There are a few absentees for the home team for the game. Marta Cardona is the only player sidelined with an injury as she continues her recovery from a quadriceps strain. Kosovare Asllani, Aurélie Kaci, and Marta Corredera were not listed in the game against Granadilla Tenerife as they remain on maternity leave.

Barcelona Femeni:

Irene Paredes is set to mark her return for the first leg from a hamstring injury. Lieke Martens became the latest casualty for Cules as she picked up a hamstring injury.Jana Fernández is a long-term absentee with a torn ACL, while Asisat Oshoala and Mariona Caldentey are also ruled out with hamstring injuries. Cata Coll is also sidelined for the remainder of the season with a ligament injury.

Real Madrid Femenino vs Barcelona Femeni: Head to Head:

Barcelona Femeni have dominated their spanish rivals as they have won all 6 of their last meeting against Real Madrid Femenino. A streak that Real Madrid Femenino will be hopeful of breaking.

Recent form in all competitions:

Barcelona Femeni:

3-0 win over Athletic Bilbao

3-1 win over Rayo Vallecano

6-0 win over Alaves

5-0 win over Real Madrid Femenino

3-0 win over Real Sociedad

Real Madrid Femenino:

3-0 win over Alhama

2-0 win over Athletic Bilbao

2-0 win over Atletico Madrid

5-0 loss against Barcelona Femeni

2-0 win over Grandilla Tenerife

Possible Line-ups:

Real Madrid Femenino (4-4-2): Misa Rodríguez (GK); Kenti Robles, Ivana Andrés, Rocío Gálvez, Babett Peter; Maite Oroz, Claudia Zornoza, Olga Carmona, Athenea del Castillo; Esther González, Nahikari García

Barcelona Femeni (4-3-3): Sandra Paños (GK); Irene Paredes, Maria Pilar Leon, Ingrid Syrstad Engen, Marta Torrejón; Patricia Guijarro, Alexia Putellas, Aitana Bonmati; Caroline Graham Hansen, Clàudia Pina, Fridolina Rolfö

RM-W vs BAR-W: Dream11 Predictions:

Women's football has grown exponentially in recent years, with Europe leading the charge in terms of talent, competition, and visibility. At the heart of this development is the UEFA Women's Champions League (UWCL), a tournament that brings together the continent's best teams to compete at the highest level. As the group stage kicks off, it offers a platform for both established clubs and emerging contenders to showcase their skills and ambitions. 

Read Also: Premier League Stats: Top 5 defenders with the most goals

Qualified Teams

A total of 16 teams have qualified for the next round of the competition and to do the draws they have been divided into 4 pots with each pot containing 4 teams each. The first pot comprises the titleholders and the domestic champions of the three top-ranked associations in the access list. the other three pots are composed following the club coefficient rankings established at the beginning of the season. below are the teams in the various pots

Read Also: Women's Champions League: Most titles by clubs

POT 1

The teams contained in this pot are Lyon the current title holder, Bayern, Chelsea, and Barcelona

POT 2

In this bracket, Wolfsburg, Arsenal, Mancity, and Real Madrid make up the number

POT 3

Juventus are joined by St Polten, FC Twente, and Roma.

POT 4

The final pot consists of Valerenga, Galatasaray Istanbul, Hammarby, and Celtic LFC.

While we await the group stage draws we will be back here to analyze the various groups and teams and a sneak peak into who maybe the favourities for this year's title 

Football, as a sport, has always brought more than tactics, games, wins, defeats and glories. It has been like a cultural fest between two types of thoughts, cultures, beliefs and history. In every corner of the world whenever two rival football teams face each other, there is always something more than the game which is on the line. It is about honour, pride and passion at the end of the day. European football has had quite a few famous and infamous rivalries over the years and today, in this article, we will talk about a few most iconic rivalries in the European Football Leagues.

El-Clasico | Real Madrid vs FC Barcelona

If you talk about football rivalries, you will have to start with Real Madrid vs FC Barcelona's El-Clasico in Spanish football. Both clubs have rich history and heritage and the passion of the fans makes it like a battlefield whenever there is an El-Clasico fixture in La Liga, Copa Del Rey, UEFA Champions League or in any other tournaments.

The world keeps an eye on every El-Clasico fixture as most of the iconic footballing stars also want to be part of the game and the fixture has produced some of the most iconic matches in the history of world football. 

Read Also | Barcelona vs Real Madrid: Last Five El-Clasico 

If we talk about a brief history of the rivalry, we will have to go back to 1899 when FC Barcelona was established and three years later, Real Madrid was formed. In the beginning, both clubs played friendlies but soon their rivalry grew after the establishment of La Liga.

From disputes over players' signatures to bringing the best players to their clubs, the El-Clasico has seen everything from its early days. Over the years, some of the best football players intensified the rivalry like Ladislao Kubala and Luis Suárez playing for Barca and Ferenc Puskas and Di Stefano for Real Madrid.

In the most recent times, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo brought the best out of both teams and the fans around the world were treated with some intense yet beautiful football via El-Clasico.

Read Also | El-Clasico stats since Messi left Barcelona 

Unlike most of the football rivalries, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid are not from the same city. FC Barcelona is based out of Catalonia, who are currently fighting for their independence from Spain which makes the El-Clasico more than a football game now. It is now become a battle for roots and independence.

El-Clasico Results till now

The stat is accurate as of 29th August 2024 and includes all the official and friendlies between the two clubs.

Read more about El-Clasico: Head-to-Head Stats

Most Goals in El-Clasico

1. Lionel Messi - 26 Goals
2. Alfredo Di Stefano - 18 Goals
3. Cristiano Ronaldo - 18 Goals
4. Karim Benzema - 16 Goals

Read more about Most Goals in El-Clasico History.

Biggest win Margins

1. Real Madrid 11-1 FC Barcelona, 19 June 1943, Copa del Rey
2. Real Madrid 8–2 Barcelona, 3 February 1935, La Liga

Players who scored for both teams in El-Clasico

1. Josep Samitier
2. Luís Enrique
3. Luís Figo
4. Ronaldo Nazario

El Clásico femenino

FC Barcelona have dominated Real Madrid in Women's Clasico since Real Madrid are a very new team and were founded in 2022 whereas the Barca Femeni team have been in existence for the last 22 years. So far, Barcelona Femeni have won all of their 14 matches against Real Madrid Femenino.

The UWCL Quarter-final match in 2022 between these two teams at Camp Nou saw a then-record attendance from women's football match of 91,553 spectators.

The Milan Derby: Inter vs. AC Milan

Just like El-Clasico, the Milan derby is also a football match where players of both clubs fight for bragging rights and the heritage of their clubs.

Brief history of the Milan Derby

In 1899, Herbert Kilpin, a British businessman and others founded the Milan Football and Cricket Club. The club had a cricket and a football team running under Edward Berra and David Allison. A few years later, in 1908, the Italian Football Federation introduced the Federal Championship and Italian Championship. The Federal Championship allowed foreign players to participate whereas only Italian players could play in the Italian Championship.

This started internal chaos within the club as there was a distinct dissent among the club members about whether to have foreign players or not. One year later, Kiplin, who wanted to have foreign players in the club, along with other members parted ways from the club and formed Football Club Internazionale which is now known as Inter Milan.

The Inter fans are known as Nerazzurri while the AC Milan fans are known as Rossoneri. Both clubs share the same stadium during their games. The San Siro Stadium in Milan is the home for both teams.

First-ever Milan Derby

Although there are many disagreements about when the first-ever Milan Derby was played, it is said that it was in 1908 when the first-ever Milan Derby was played in the Chiasso Cup final which AC Milan won by 2-1. The first-ever official Milan Derby was played in the inaugural 1926–27 season of the Divisione Nazionale, the first Italian National League. AC Milan won the match by 3-2.

The Abandoned Match and the Iocnic photo

On 12 April 2005, the Milan Derby was abandoned after Inter fans started throwing objects on the field in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League 2005 Quatrer-finals. AC Milan were leading by 2-0 in the first leg, and took a 1-0 lead in the second leg, 3-0 on aggregate. The match was abandoned after 73 minutes and Milan were handed a 3-0 victory at the end. 

Milan Derby: Head-to-head stats

The data is accurate as of 29 August 2024 and includes all the competitions. 

Most Goals in Milan Derby

1. Andriy Shevchenko - 14 Goals
2. Giuseppe Meazza - 13 Goals
3. Gunnar Nordahl - 11 Goals
4. Istvan Nyers - 11 Goals

The North West Derby: Manchester United vs. Liverpool

The North West Derby between Manchester United and Liverpool Football Club is one of the most storied rivalries in European football history. Despite being just 35 miles away from each other, both clubs have different roots, histories and ideologies. 

It all began when in 1894 Manchester merchants created the Manchester Ship Canal to avoid Liverpool’s steep port taxes. This created economic and industrial competition between the cities and that ignited the rivalry that we saw on the pitch today.

Read Also | 10 Most FA Cup Winners List: FA cup in detail

In fact, right before the establishment of the Manchester Ship Canal, Newton Heath (United's old name) had faced Liverpool in a play-off match which saw Newton Heath getting relegated to the second division. 

The United-Liverpool derby is greater than their own city derbies against Manchester City and Everton respectively. The rivalry is so intense that no players since 1964 have been directly transferred between the clubs. 

Read Also | Most Premier League titles as a player

United vs Liverpool: Head-to-head statistics

The data is accurate as of 29 August 2024.

Most goals in United vs Liverpool matches

Women's Football: United vs Liverpool

Even in Women's football, both clubs have the same amount of passion and rivalry among each other whenever they play. Manchester United's women's team were founded in 2018 while Liverpool F.C. Women were founded in 1989 and since then, these two teams have faced each other 8 times. 

The data is accurate as of 29 August 2024.

Read Also | Women's Super League 2024-25 full fixture and schedule

Der Klassiker: Bayern Munich vs. Borussia Dortmund

This is one of the newest rivalries among the European Football Leagues and the most exciting football tussle in the Bundesliga currently. The word "Der Klassiker" in German means the "German Classic". However, due to the low number of matches between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, many German fans and pundits do not consider this fixture as the German Classic.

Everything remained sorted between two of the most successful clubs in German football until the 1990s when Dortmund won the Bundesliga successive times in the 1994-95 and 1995-96 seasons and challenged Bayern's dominance in the league. 

Read Also | Most Successful Teams of Top Five European Football Leagues 

In 1996, then Bayern captain Lothar Matthaus mocked Andreas Moller, his German national team teammate by wiping imaginary tears from his eyes during a game. Moller gave the response by slapping Matthaus on the face. Later, in that season, Dortmund won the 1997 UEFA Champions League final against Juventus in Munich, the home of Bayern Munich.

The rivalry intensified when Bayern hired Dortmund's successful coach Ottmar Hitzfeld as their head coach in the 1997-98 season. In the second meeting between the clubs in the 1998-99 season, Bayern Munich goalkeeper Oliver Kahn first launched a Kung-Fu-style kick on Stephane Chapuisat and then nearly bit Borussia Dortmund's Heiko Herrlich's ear.

However, the rivalry remained a tad silenced in the mid-2000s before a coach named Jurgen Klopp took charge of Borussia Dortmund and took them to back-to-back Bundesliga success in 2011 and 2012 with players like Robert Lewandowski, Mats Hummels, Mario Götze and Shinji Kagawa. In the next season, Bayern took revenge by beating Dortmund in the 2012-13 UEFA Champions League final at Wembley.

Bayern Munich vs Borussia Dortmund - Head-to-head stats

Most goals by a player in Bayern Munich vs Borussia Dortmund matches

The Old Firm Derby between two of the most successful clubs in Scotland, Celtic and Rangers FC is one of the oldest rivalries in football history. Started as a friend, both clubs became rivals at the start of the 19th century and since then have formed a rivalry which is enriched by political, religious, cultural and social differences in the country.

Celtic fans are historically Irish-Scots and Catholic whereas Rangers fans are native Scots and come from the Protestant community. In the early days, Rangers had an unwritten rule of not signing any player from a Catholic ethnicity until  Graeme Souness signed Mo Johnston, an ex-Celtic forward in 1989.

Read Also | European treble winners in men's football history

Rangers FC was formed in 1872 while Celtic was formed 15 years later in 1887. In their early days, Rangers FC was termed as the "friends of Celtic" until 1902 when Rangers' wooden stadium collapsed during the Scotland vs England match, resulting in the death of 25 fans and injuring many. Post that, the Rangers had to rebuild their Ibrox stadium and it was financed by selling off their best players to Celtic. Celtic took advantage of the situation and won the Scottish League title six times between 1905 and 1910. 

Since then, the rivalry has become so intense that incidents of deaths and killings have been noticed during past derbies. Although both clubs have taken up a project to tackle bigotry and sectarianism in sports, the fans never changed. In fact, as per an activist group in Glasgow, violent attacks and domestic abuses increase by nine times during Old Firm weekends.

In fact, things get so much out of control that £550,000 was spent by Celtic, Rangers, the SFA and the SPFL just for the policing inside the stadium alone during nine derby games between April 2016 and December 2017

How did the name Old Firm come?

The Old Firm name came when in the Scottish Cup final in 1904, a large number of people attended the match giving considerable financial benefit to both the clubs meaning an old firm that produces business or money.

Did you know?

At the start of the 21st century, both Celtic and Rangers together trademarked the name "Old Firm" and as of 2021, it is still being renewed. 

Celtic vs. Rangers: Head-to-head stats

The stat is accurate as of 29 August 2024.

Most goals by a player in Old Firm derby

The stat is accurate as of 29 August 2024.

The Battle of Britain: Arsenal vs. Tottenham Hotspur

The North London derby between Arsenal FC and Tottenham Hotspur is called "The Battle of Britain." Started in 1887, the rivalry grew in 1913 when Arsenal moved their home ground from Manor Ground in Plumstead to Arsenal Stadium in Highbury, just 6.5kms apart from Tottenham Hotspur's White Hart Lane Stadium.

The move was opposed by the Spurs' fans as they used to call Highbury their territory and they did not like Arsenal being there with them.

The rivalry surged when in 1919, right after World War I, the first division was supposed to be expanded by two teams by votes and Arsenal pipped over Suprs to get into the first division league after an endorsement by John McKenna, the then Chairman of Liverpool FC and the League president.

However, Tottenham won the 1919-20 second-division league to be promoted to the first-division league and the first-ever North London derby (after Arsenal's move to a new stadium) took place in the following season which resulted in a 2-1 victory for the Spurs.

Read Also | Breaking Down the Most Iconic Football Facts and Moments of All Time

Since Tottenham were placed in the second division from 1928 to 1933 and from 1935 to 1950 both of these clubs could face each other 195 times in competitive first-class matches. Many times during these matches the result of the league depended on the North London derby and even as per fans, they would not mind losing against an opponent rather than helping their North London rival excel in the league.

Read Also | Most Goals in the Premier League history - Alan Shearer at the top 

Most of the North-East part of London supports Tottenham whereas the North-West part supports Arsenal and they never miss any chance to go at each other even though they find themselves working together.

Arsenal vs Spurs Head-to-head stats

Most Goals by a player in North London Derby 

Women's football

Arsenal Women's are the most successful team in English women's football. They won the English Football Championship a record 15 times while winning the Women's FA Cup a record 14 times. 

Till now they have faced Tottenham Hotspur F.C. Women's team 16 times and won in 12 of them while losing once and drawing thrice.

More football rivalries in European leagues

Other than the above-mentioned six football rivalries, here are a few other iconic football rivalries in European football leagues.

• The Lisbon Derby: Benfica vs. Sporting CP in Portugal
• The Istanbul Derby: Galatasaray vs. Fenerbahce in Turkey
• The Eternal Derby: Red Star Belgrade vs. Partizan Belgrade in Serbia
• Le Classique: Paris Saint-Germain vs. Olympique de Marseille in France

The UEFA Women's Champions League (UWCL) was previously called the UEFA Women's Cup (2001–2009). It is a European women's association football competition involving the top club teams from countries affiliated with the European governing body UEFA. The competition was first played in 2001–02 and renamed the Women's Champions League in the 2009–10 edition. There were two huge changes in 2009. UEFA included runners-up from the top eight ranked nations, and a one-off final as opposed to the two-legged finals in previous years. Later in the 2021–22 season, the competition included a group stage for the first time in the UWCL era.

Read Also: Football Transfer News: Lauren Hemp says no to Barcelona; signs new deal with City

Who won the first UEFA Women's Champions League?

If we include the UEFA Women's Cup, Eintracht Frankfurt were the first team to lift the title in the 2001-02 season after defeating Swedish side Umea in the final. After the competition was renamed in the 2009-10 season, Turbine Potsdam became the first champion, defeating Lyon in the final.

Who have won the most Women's Champions League titles?

The Olympique De Lyonnais women's team are the most successful club in the history of the competition. Lyon won their maiden title in the 2010-11 season by defeating Potsdam. Lyon have won the title for a record 8-times. They also won the Women's Champions League title consecutive five times between 2016 and 2020.

Read Also: Champions League winners list since 1955/56

Women's Champions League all-time top scorers

10. Burger (Neulengbach) | 38 Goals

UEFA Women's Champions League Winners since 2002

Barcelona are the defending Champions. They defeated Wolfsberg 3-2 in the final of the 2022-23 season to lift the title for the second time.

UEFA Women's Cup and UEFA Women's Champions League Winners since 2002

Season	Winners	Score	Runners-up
2001-02	FFC Frankfurt	2-0	Umea
2002-03	Umea	4-1	Fortuna Hjørring
		3-0
2003-04	Umea	3-0	1. FFC Frankfurt
		5-0
2004-05	Turbine Potsdam	2-0	Djurgården/Älvsjö
		3-1
2005-06	1. FFC Frankfurt	4-0	Turbine Potsdam
		3-2
2006-07	Arsenal	1-0	Umea
		0-0
2007-08	1. FFC Frankfurt	1-1	Umea
		3-2
2008-09	FCR Duisburg	6-0	Zvezda Perm
		1-1
2009-10	Turbine Potsdam	0-0 (7-6 Penalties)	Lyon
2010-11	Lyon	2-0	Turbine Potsdam
2011-12	Lyon	2-0	1. FFC Frankfurt
2012-13	VFL Wolfsberg	1-0	Lyon
2013-14	VFL Wolfsberg	4-3	Tyreso
2014-15	1. FFC Frankfurt	2-1	PSG
2015-16	Lyon	1-1 (4-3 Penalties)	VfL Wolfsberg
2016-17	Lyon	0-0 (7-6 Penalties)	PSG
2017-18	Lyon	4-1	VfL Wolfsberg
2018-19	Lyon	4-1	Barcelona Femeni
2019-20	Lyon	3-1	VfL Wolfsberg
2020-21	Barcelona Femeni	4-0	Chelsea
2021-22	Lyon	3-1	Barcelona Femeni
2022-23	Barcelona Femeni	3-2	VfL Wolfsberg

Manisha Kalyan gave a hattrick of Assist in UEFA Champions League Qualification for Apollon Ladies F.C against ŽFK Ljuboten. She was already the first Indian footballer to ever feature in the UEFA Champions League. Now she also became the first Indian to give assist in the competition. Not one, not two, a hattrick of assists from the AIFF Women's Player of the Year.

Read Also: Indian Football News: Chhangte and Manisha Kalyan win the AIFF Player Of the Year award

Manisha Kalyan moved abroad from her former club Gokulam Kerala FC. The forward signed a two-year deal with Cyprus First Division champions, Apollon Ladies. Manisha Kalyan spent three successful years with the Kerala-based outfit, winning two Indian Women's League titles with them. She also earned the Player of the Tournament award.

JOB DONE! 💙#weareapollonladies #uwcl pic.twitter.com/6xldr7JZkL

— Apollon Ladies F.C (@ApollonLadiesFC) September 6, 2023

Manisha Kalyan was on her path to write a fresh page in history and she did that. She came on to play the second half against Ljuboten. kalyan provided her first assist to Joana Dantas in the 59th minute and then the second one to Syndy Nasello in the 79th minute. She completed her hattrick of assists in the 90th minute when Eleni Giannou made it 9-0 for Apollon Ladies FC. Many more to come from the young sensation but this will be the moment to remember for a long time.

England manager Sarina Wiegman dedicated her Uefa Women's Coach of the Year award to World Cup winners Spain, as Fifa president Gianni Infantino said their success had been "spoiled".

Spanish football federation president Luis Rubiales has been widely criticised for kissing forward Jenni Hermoso on the lips after the final.

Wiegman said the victorious Spain players "deserve to be listened to".

And Infantino wrote on social media: "This should never have happened."

Hermoso said the kiss during the presentation ceremony after the World Cup final win over England in Sydney on 20 August was not consensual.

Rubiales was suspended by world football's governing body Fifa on Saturday but has repeatedly refused to resign.

Sarina Wiegman led the audience at Thursday's ceremony in a round of applause for Spain, stating they "deserve to be celebrated".

"We all know the issues around the Spanish team," she said.

"It really hurts me as a coach, a mother of two daughters, as a wife and human being. And it shows, the game has grown so much, but there is a long way to go in women's football and society.

"I would like to dedicate this award to the Spanish team, the team that played such great football that everyone enjoyed."

Infantino later posted a photograph of himself with the world champions on Instagram, writing: "Sadly, the well-deserved celebrations for these magnificent champions were spoiled by what happened after the final whistle.

"Fifa's disciplinary bodies immediately assumed responsibility and took the necessary actions.

"On our side, we should continue to focus on how further to support women and women's football in future, both on and off the pitch."

Infantino was criticised for a speech he gave at the World Cup where he said women who "pick the right fights" can "convince us men what we have to do" to bring progress in women's football.

The incident has sparked a global conversation about consent and power, with widespread protests taking place across Spain in support of Hermoso.

The forward's international team-mate Aitana Bonmati also spoke about the incident as she accepted her women's player of the year award at the Uefa event.

"Thanks to Sarina Wiegman for her words. These are not very good times just now for Spanish football," the 25-year-old midfielder said.

"We have just won the World Cup but that is not really being spoken about because things have happened that I wish were not happening.

"As a society, we must not allow such abuses of power in a working relationship or such a lack of respect."

Spanish football federation regional leaders have called on president Rubiales to immediately step down, while Spanish prosecutors opened a preliminary investigation into whether the incident amounts to a crime of sexual assault.

Spain's Sports Tribunal (TAD) also met on Monday to discuss the Spanish government's request to suspend Rubiales, with a decision yet to be announced.

Meanwhile, Chelsea women's manager Emma Hayes says she is hopeful the situation will prove to be a "huge wake-up moment" in Spain.

"This is not just an isolated incident," said Hayes, speaking on Woman's Hour on BBC Radio 4.

"It is about a systemic problem over a number of years where the women's national team have complained on more than one occasion about the level of treatment and equality of opportunity and access for all of them.

"I hope that it will bring seismic and systemic change and you can see with the reaction across Spain it is certainly in support of Jenni Hermoso and the entire Spanish team.

"This is a huge wake-up moment for Spanish society and it goes beyond Spanish football about how women feel they are treated or mistreated.

"It happens here as much as Spain. I have to deal with it on a regular basis. Do I think we are much further ahead than Spain? Yes. But we still have so much work to do.

"Of course it has a 'women's problem'. We have to look at some of the work done to challenge the same issues around racism because some people are not aware of how inherently misogynist they are.

"We are making strides in the right direction but we want to keep progressing."