UEFA Women's Champions League: players to watch in the quarter-final first legs: Schüller, Janssen, Macário, Raffaele Souza

The UEFA Women's Champions League is back as the quarter-finals begin on Wednesday.

We pick out four players who could have a crucial role in the first legs as the road to Turin resumes.

*Raffaelle Souza is yet to appear in the competition.

Lea Schüller (Bayern München)

Bayern emerged from Wolfsburg's shadow last season to claim the German title and go a round further than their rivals in this competition, reaching only their second semi-final. Much of the credit for that goes to their prolific 2020 signing from Essen, Schüller, who got three of her 26 goals last season in Europe.

She has already matched that tally of three in the group stage, and looks favourite to finish as Bundesliga top scorer. Bayern have lost both previous ties with French teams in Europe, each quarter-finals, but Schüller – who warned when she was named German Player of the Year 2021 that "I haven't reached my limit yet," – will be the key to them hitting a new height.

Rafaelle Souza (Arsenal)

Despite setting the pace in the English Women's Super League, Arsenal were the busiest of the eight quarter-finalists in the January transfer window and among the arrivals was experienced Brazilian defender Rafaelle, previously playing in China. Manager Jonas Eidevall had been looking for a tall, left-sided centre-back to play alongside Leah Williamson and the pair have swiftly clicked.

Rafaelle's ability in the air has proved a useful weapon at set-pieces and Eidevall has also highlighted her ability to get on the front foot and launch attacks. However, the key will be providing stability in defence for a team that let in 13 goals in the group stage and are taking on a Wolfsburg side that put seven past Chelsea in two games.

Dominique Janssen (Wolfsburg)

Wolfsburg have only have met Arsenal once before in this competition, knocking out the Gunners in the 2012/13 semi-finals on their way to debut success. But a trip to London is hardly unfamiliar territory: they were there in October for a 3-3 draw at Chelsea, whose frequent meeting with Wolfsburg made that the UEFA Women's Champions League's most-played fixture, and they boast two former Arsenal players in Jill Roord and Janssen.

The versatile Netherlands defender-midfielder was at Arsenal between 2015 and 2019, bringing up a century of appearances before a switch to Wolfsburg, where she is now in the captaincy group and a regular at centre-back, with forays forward not least to take her deadly free-kicks. Can she neutralise her long-time international (and former club) team-mate VIvianne Miedema?

Catarina Macário (Lyon)

Lyon beat off plenty of competition to sign US college star Macário in January 2021 and she has repaid that faith since: her goal against Paris at this stage last season might not have been enough to save OL's title defence but she has kept scoring this term, not least with four in Europe so far.

Usually in attacking midfield, Macário loves to burst forward and during her most recent United States camp stated that she is even happier as a central striker. Her pace, awareness and finishing have made her a deadly weapon in an evolving Lyon team as they make the first of what they hope will be two trips to the Juventus Stadium this season.