Women's Champions League: Hammarby vs St. Pölten facts

UEFA Women's Champions debutants Hammarby welcome St. Pölten to the Stockholm Arena as Group D gets under way.

The section is completed by holder Barcelona and Manchester City.

Form guide

Hammarby

This Matchday 1 fixture is the first time Hammarby have taken on Austrian opponents in UEFA competition.

Hammarby are taking part in a first Women's Champions League campaign in 2024/25 and have reached the group stage at the first time of asking.

The Swedish outfit went directly into round 2, where they faced last season's quarter-finalists Benfica. Julie Blakstad gave the home side a 16th-minute lead in the first leg in Stockholm on 18 September, but Benfica hit back to win 2-1.

A week later in Lisbon, Blakstad once again scored in the 16th minute to level the tie. That set the stage for a 95th-minute Cathinka Tandberg goal to send Hammarby through at the Portuguese side's expense.

Hammarby claimed a long-awaited Damallsvenskan title in 2023, the second time they had been crowned Swedish champions and the first since 1985. They won 18 of their 26 league games (D5 L3) to finish tied on points with Häcken, earning first place courtesy of a +1 superior goal difference.

Bajen completed their first domestic double by lifting the 2022/23 Svenska Cupen, beating Häcken 3-0 in the final on 6 June 2023.

Hammarby have lost three of their last four home games in all competitions.

St. Pölten

Record vs Swedish clubs W0 D1 L1 F2 A4
Away record vs Swedish clubs W0 D1 L0

St. Pölten drew Hammarby's Swedish rivals Rosengård in the 2020/21 round of 16. After a 2-2 first-leg draw in Malmö on 3 March 2021, Mateja Zver scoring both St. Pölten goals, Rosengård prevailed 2-0 in Austria a week later.

This is the third successive season in which St. Pölten have reached the group stage, although they first featured in the Women's Champions League in 2013/14.

The Austrian side finished third on their group debut in 2022/23, losing home and away to both Wolfsburg and Roma but taking four points from Slavia Praha.

They were once again drawn alongside Slavia in Group B last season but could only pick up a single point from their six games as they finished behind their Czech opponents, Brann and Lyon.

Celia Brancão's side defeated Neftçi (5-0) and Vllaznia (1-0) in round 1 of this season's competition and then recorded an 8-0 aggregate win (3-0 h, 5-0 a) against Mura in round 2. Kamila Dubcová scored three times in those four wins, with Sophie Hillebrand, Valentina Mädl, Melike Pekel and Zver all getting two goals.

That defeat by Rosengård in 2021 is the only time St. Pölten featured in the round of 16 under the previous format.

St. Pölten were Austrian champions for the ninth time in 2023/24, going the whole season unbeaten (W15 D3) and finishing ten points ahead of First Vienna. They have lost just one league game since May 2018 – a 0-1 defeat by Altach / Vorderland on 21 May 2023.

Key facts

Swedish teams are unbeaten against Austrian clubs in the Women's Champions League (W5 D2).

St. Pölten have won all four matches in this season's competition without conceding a goal.

The Austrian side are without a win in their last nine group games (D2 L7).

St. Pölten's 1-0 victory at Slavia Praha on 23 November 2022 is their only group success.