Australians figuring in the UEFA Women’s Champions League have been handed tough draws in the competition’s group stages, including facing each other.Â
There will be a reunion for Joe Montemurro, who will come up against Caitlin Foord, Steph Catley and Arsenal with his Italian champions Juventus in Group C.
The A-League Women Championship-winning head coach brought Foord and Catley to Arsenal, where he guided the Gunners to the Women’s Super League title in 2018-19 – the club’s first league crown since 2012.
In his first season at Juventus last season, Montemurro oversaw an unprecedented treble while guiding the Bianconeri to the Champions League quarter-finals.
It’s a tough group for the former Melbourne City head coach as Ellie Carpenter’s defending champions Lyon also await, as well as Swiss outfit FC Zurich.
Montemurro and Carpenter – recovering from a serious knee injury sustained in the 2021-22 UWCL final – met in the quarter-finals last season and Lyon came out on top before winning the tournament.
There will be another clash of the Matildas, with Sam Kerr’s Chelsea paired with Lydia Williams and last season’s semi-finalists Paris Saint-Germain.
Kerr – the two-time WSL reigning Golden Boot winner – and Chelsea missed out on the knockout phase last term at the expense of Montemurro’s Juve.
Group A also features Real Madrid, who ousted Hayley Raso, Mary Fowler and Alanna Kennedy’s Manchester City, and Albanian side Vllaznia.
Matildas goalkeeper Teagan Micah’s Rosengard face Spanish powerhouse Barcelona – the 2021 champions and runners-up last season – German giants Bayern Munich, and Benfica in Group D.
In the remaining group B, regular finalists Wolfsburg were drawn with Roma, Slavia Prague, and St Polten.
The group stage will run from October 19 to December 22, with the knockout rounds in the northern hemisphere spring and the final on June 3 or 4 in Eindhoven, Netherlands.
Group A: Chelsea (England), Paris Saint-Germain (France), Real Madrid (Spain), Vllaznia (Albania).
Group B: Wolfsburg (Germany), Slavia Prague (Czechia), St. Polten (Austria), Roma (Italy).
Group C: Lyon (France), Arsenal (England), Juventus (Italy), Zurich (Switzerland).
Group D: Barcelona (Spain), Bayern Munich (Germany), Rosengard (Sweden), Benfica (Portugal).
