With a 1-0 win in the second leg over stalwarts Manchester City, Real Madrid Femenino advanced to the UEFA Women’s Champions League group stage for the first time in their history. It’s a huge accomplishment for Las Blancas, and while they will like their chances of advancing in their group, there is still a lot of work to be done.
The UWCL group stages will begin in October. Let’s take a look at the full schedule Real Madrid Femenino will face in the 2021-22 competition before the knockout stages begin when the calendar flips to 2022.
Matchday 1, Wednesday, October 6, WFC Kharkiv vs. Real Madrid Femenino
Las Blancas will start their group stage with a road trip to Ukraine, which won’t be easy. Although Real will be heavy favorites in this one on paper, a road match is tricky. The onus will be on the attackers to get off to a fast start, since going down a goal early would be a big problem. Hopefully, Nahikari Garcia and Esther Gonzalez will be in sync after a few more league matches to get adjusted to their fits with the team.
Prediction: Kharkiv 2-2 Real Madrid
Matchday 2, Wednesday, October 13, Real Madrid vs. Breidablik
This should be another three points for Las Blancas. Breidablik have what it takes to steal a point from Real Madrid, but the Merengue club really should be winning at home.
Prediction: Real Madrid 4 – 1 Breidablik
Matchday 3, Tuesday, November 9, PSG vs. Real Madrid
PSG have been one of the best teams in the world for years, and they are so, so close to a UEFA Women’s Champions League triumph. This will be a huge test for Las Blancas, especially on the road. Real will need to show much more midfield control and solidity to help the back four out. PSG have serious attacking firepower. A point here would mean a lot against the group favorites. So much can change between now and November, too. Real could very well be a much, much stronger side two months into the season.
Prediction: PSG 3 – 0 Real Madrid
Matchday 4, Thursday, November 18, Real Madrid vs. PSG
Both elite European clubs won’t get much time to readjust for the second group stage fixture between them. A trip home to Madrid could do Las Blancas wonders if things don’t go as planned in the first fixture. This match is potentially where Real Madrid could produce a statement game.
Prediction: Real Madrid 2 – 2 PSG
Matchday 5, Wednesday, December 8, Breidablik vs. Real Madrid
I think this is where we could see an upset working against Real Madrid Femenino, which would make that draw with PSG all the more meaningful. A trip to Iceland in December is a tricky one, and this is the point in the season where things will get grueling. Las Blancas have never had to deal with the demands of Primera Iberdrola, which keeps getting better every year, and the UEFA Women’s Champions League. Breidablik could take advantage on Matchday 5.
Prediction: Breidablik 1 – 0 Real Madrid
Matchday 6, Thursday, December 16, Real Madrid vs. Kharkiv
Real Madrid Femenino will take that defeat against Breidablik and respond with a vengeance to close the Champions League group stage on a high note. A home match against Kharkiv is a great chance for Real to secure the three points that confirm their spot into the knockout stage. By then, Real may already have enough points to make it through, but I think it could get close with one of Breidablik or Kharkiv surprising. There are fine margins in the Champions League, after all.
Prediction: Real Madrid 5 – 0 Kharkiv
So in total, Real Madrid Femenino should accrue eight points out of five matches. That should be enough to go through the knockout stages. The key will be picking up all the points they need against Kharkiv and Breidablik. If they lose to PSG twice, that’s OK. But just as long as they don’t drop too many points against the lower teams in the group. Still, Real are new to the competition and won’t be perfect. There will be slips. Fans must accept those and look at the overall trend. I am optimistic that will all be positive.