UEFA Women's Champions League: Players to watch in the semi-final first legs

The UEFA Women's Champions League semi-finals begin on Saturday. We focus on four players with key roles to play.

Keira Walsh (Barcelona)

While a few rivalries from the FIFA Women's World Cup final between Spain and England will be renewed when Barcelona face Chelsea, there are also some intra-Lionesses encounter with the Blaugrana fielding Walsh and Lucy Bronze. Walsh came to Barcelona in summer 2022 from Manchester City, regular rivals of Chelsea for the major English honours, and since then has only bolstered her reputation as a world-class midfielder.

Her job is to hold the middle and spark attacks for Barcelona's unmatched selection of talent, and when she arrived, Walsh was one of the few players in the world that could have enhanced their squad. "I think Keira has the perfect style for Barcelona," Alexia Putellas recently told onefootball. "She’s made our team better and our style has made her better, so it’s perfect."

Erin Cuthbert (Chelsea)

Mind you, Chelsea aren't short of some top-class central midfielders themselves to counter Walsh, and few have had better seasons than Cuthbert. The Scottish international arrived at Chelsea from Glasgow City in 2016 aged 18 and has become integral to their play under Emma Hayes, able to fill a number of roles but usually used in holding midfield, with a ability to burst forward.

Typical of her play was the crucial tackle in the Ajax half that led directly to Chelsea's goal in the home leg of their quarter-final. Typical too was Cuthbert telling UEFA.com afterwards: "That’s just as good as [scoring a goal for me." Her all-action style will be crucial to Chelsea containing and challenging Barcelona in Saturday's away first leg.

Wendie Renard (Lyon)

Renard holds most appearance records in this competition and when it comes to semi-finals, no one can match her record of taking part in 12 past last-four ties, or the total of 21 matches including both legs. Semi-finals against Paris Saint-Germain are a speciality; Renard scored the only goal when they beat them 1-0 in this year's final venue, San Mamés Stadium in Bilbao, in the one-off last-four encounter in 2020, and two years later she struck in both legs as Lyon went on to their tenth final and eighth title.

Renard spent three months out earlier this season but the Lyon captain returned to the heart of the defence in March, in time for yet another big encounter with Paris. And the capital club know full well that Renard's prowess isn't just at the back; all tremble when she comes forward for set-pieces.

Sakina Karchaoui (Paris Saint-Germain)

Lyon are not short of former Paris players but the capital club do boast one who went in the opposite direction. The left-back switched in 2021, at at 28 is in the form of her life, not least in helping France to the recent UEFA Women's Nations League final.

Karchaoui will have former team-mates (and current France colleagues to stop, but is more than capable of doing that and causing a threat at the other end. Lyon winger Delphine Cascarino herself says Karchaoui is the player she finds trickiest to face: "It's always tough to play against her," she told DAZN earlier this season. "I love it and I consider it tough at the same time."