English trio face the big challenge: can anyone stop Barça?

Arsenal, Chelsea and City will all feel they have a chance as the Spanish holders aim to make their fifth final in a row

- Tom Garry

After a three-month wait for restless fans since the conclusion of the group stage, Europe's top clubs return to continental action this week as the Women's Champions League quarter-finals get under way. The main question on everybody's mind between now and the final in Lisbon on 24 May is: can anybody stop Barcelona?

The defending champions are bidding to reach a fifth consecutive final and win the title for the third year in a row, but they did not complete the group stage with a perfect record and provided a rare glimpse of their mortality with an away defeat against Manchester City in October.

With that in mind, and in view of the relative strength of the teams in the last eight, the battle to reach Estádio José Alvalade has a wide-open feel to it, especially with both Chelsea and Lyon unbeaten in their domestic leagues. Throw in the renewal of old rivalries, as Wolfsburg meet Barcelona in a repeat of the 2023 final, plus Nick Cushing as City's interim head coach, and it adds to the recipe for four tantalising quarter-finals.