Key dates for British teams in Women's Champions League
- Published
After Friday's draw for the Women's Champions League group stage, the fixtures have now been confirmed.
The matches begin on 8 and 9 October and conclude on 17 and 18 December. The top two teams from the four groups will progress to the quarter-finals.
Here are all six group stage ties for Arsenal, Celtic, Chelsea and Manchester City, plus reaction from each club.
Arsenal
Tuesday, 8 October: Bayern Munich v Arsenal
Wednesday, 16 October: Arsenal v Valerenga
Tuesday, 12 November: Juventus v Arsenal
Thursday, 21 November: Arsenal v Juventus
Thursday, 12 December: Valerenga v Arsenal
Wednesday, 18 December: Arsenal v Bayern Munich
Arsenal technical services manager Jodie Taylor: "I’m happy with the group, they are going to be challenging games. We are playing more games at the Emirates, we will play all of our Champions League games there from this stage onwards. The fans are incredible, the support is incredible.
"We are happy to be back in the Champions League in front of our fans at the Emirates. We are here to compete, it’s a big ambition of the club to win trophies. We want to progress through the tournament as far as we can possibly go."
Celtic
Tuesday, 8 October: Celtic v Twente
Thursday, 17 October: Real Madrid v Celtic
Wednesday, 13 November: Celtic v Chelsea
Wednesday, 20 November: Chelsea v Celtic
Wednesday, 11 December: Celtic v Real Madrid
Tuesday, 17 December: Twente v Celtic
Celtic boss Elena Sadiku: "We are still very excited and happy for the opportunity. Now we know the group, we can’t wait. It was something I thought was going to happen [drawing Chelsea and Real Madrid].
"We are looking forward to the group. Obviously it’s going to be tough, this is our first time in the group stage. I think we are the least experienced team to get into this phase of the Champions League. This experience is going to make us better and I am just looking forward to it."
Chelsea
Tuesday, 8 October: Chelsea v Real Madrid
Thursday, 17 October: Twente v Chelsea
Wednesday, 13 November: Celtic v Chelsea
Wednesday, 20 November: Chelsea v Celtic
Wednesday, 11 December: Chelsea v Twente
Tuesday, 17 December: Real Madrid v Chelsea
Chelsea boss Sonia Bompastor: "We are really excited to get started in the Champions League. The nice thing with the draw is that we don’t have to travel a lot. It’s important.
"This league is competitive and the Women's Champions League is getting more and more competitive. I never take one game for granted. I know it will be difficult.
"We will now start to play three games a week and this is a different schedule. We take each game step by step and see how we do."
Manchester City
Wednesday, 9 October: Man City v Barcelona
Wednesday, 16 October: St Polten v Man City
Tuesday, 12 November: Man City v Hammarby
Thursday, 21 November: Hammarby v Man City
Thursday, 12 December: Man City v St Polten
Wednesday, 18 December: Barcelona v Man City
Man City boss Gareth Taylor: "It’s a good draw. I'm really happy with it. It’s great to play Barcelona, it’s a real challenge for us and one to be really excited about.
"They have been a shining light over the past few years in Europe, and domestically as well. We came up against them in our first season, in the quarter-finals so it’s a great game for us to test ourselves, challenge ourselves and ultimately see where we are at over the two games."