Sports Mole previews Wednesday’s Women’s Champions League clash between Valerenga Women and Juventus Women, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Juventus Women will travel to Norway for the first game of the Women’s Champions League group stage Valerenga Women.
The Italian side and their Norwegian hosts will compete for a top-two spot with Arsenal and Bayern Munich in Group C.
Match preview
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Valerenga are set to become the second Norwegian team to feature in the Women’s Champions League group stage after they successfully negotiated two rounds of qualifying.
The reigning Toppserien champions ousted Farul Constanta in the first stage, before they recorded a 5-1 aggregate victory over Anderlecht in the second qualifying round.
After sweeping past Anderlecht, Valerenga went on to seal their spot in the Norwegian Cup final with a 3-1 win in their semi-final clash against Brann.
They then recorded a 3-1 away victory in Friday’s away league meeting with Asane, leaving them 11 points clear at the top of the table with just five matches left to play.
Nils Lexerod‘s side may be on the verge of retaining their league crown, but their current focus will be on their first outing in the Women’s Champions League group stage, with the host looking to clinch a 12th consecutive victory in all competitions.
Juventus are looking forward to competing in the group phase after eliminating Paris Saint-Germain in qualifying to become the first team to knock out the French giants before the quarter-finals since Tyreso in 2013-14.
The Italian side recorded a 3-1 victory in the home leg, before they claimed a narrow 2-1 win in the away fixture thanks to goals from Sofia Cantore and Barbara Bonansea.
Juventus returned to league action with a commanding 4-0 victory over Fiorentina, before they beat Sampdoria in Saturday’s away league clash to establish a three-point lead at the top of the Serie A Femminile table.
Impressively, Juventus have now won all seven of their competitive matches this season, and they showcased their firepower with a total of 23 goals in that period.
While they may be in red-hot form, the visitors have won just one of their previous six away matches in the Women’s Champions League main draw.
Valerenga Women Women’s Champions League form:
Valerenga Women form (all competitions):
Juventus Women Women’s Champions League form:
Juventus Women form (all competitions):
Team News
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The hosts remain without the services of Mimmi Lofwenius, who is currently sidelined with a long-term knee injury.
Goalkeeper Jalen Tompkins is unlikely to be involved after missing the last nine competitive matches due to an injury issue.
Having scored six goals in her last seven appearances, Karina Saevik will look to continue her fine form when she features in the Valerenga forward line against Juventus.
As for the visitors, Massimiliano Canzi is set to make a number of changes after rotating his side for the recent win over Sampdoria.
Pauline Peyraud-Magnin will return between the posts, while Martina Lenzini is set to come in to feature in a back three with Viola Calligaris and Delphina Cascarino.
There could also be recalls for Arianna Caruso, Valentina Bergamaschi and Sofia Cantore, with the latter expected to support Chiara Beccari and Cristiana Girelli in attack.
Valerenga Women possible starting lineup:
Enblom; Horte, Thorsnes, Olsen; Arnesen, Brekken, Bjelde, Heidarsdottir; Godo, Tvedten, Saevik
Juventus Women possible starting lineup:
Peyraud-Magnin; Lenzini, Calligaris, Cascarino; Thomas, Bennison, Caruso, Bergamaschi
We say: Valerenga Women 1-3 Juventus Women
Juventus may have won just one of their last seven away games in the main draw of European competition, but they have proven to be a formidable force in the opening stages of the 2024-25 campaign, and we think they will showcase their firepower to maintain their 100% start to the season.
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