Seven things Wolfsburg must do to take down all-conquering Barcelona in the Women's Champions League final

It was only last season when these two last met in the Champions League, Barcelona triumphing over two legs in their semi-final clash. Both games can be a huge resource for Tommy Stroot, Wolfsburg’s clever young coach, in the build-up to this fixture.

The first leg was a nightmare. Barca were in full flow at Camp Nou in front of a world-record crowd that roared them onto a huge 5-1 win. However, it was evident that Stroot had taken in plenty of the problems during the game and figured out the solutions, as his team were 2-0 winners in the return leg in Germany.

It might not have saved the tie, but it was Barca’s first defeat of the season and a shock outcome as a result of their seemingly unbeatable form.

Back then, Wolfsburg did not have Lena Oberdorf available in midfield, and star strikers Alex Popp and Ewa Pajor had both had their seasons, and therefore their form, disrupted by injuries. All three will be fit and firing this time around as Stroot looks to put together a game plan that delivers UWCL glory, all while enhancing his growing reputation.

First of all, though, Wolfsburg will have to suffer. Barcelona will dominate this game and Stroot and his players will be well aware of that. They'll be starved of the ball at times and will have to focus intensely on ensuring the opponent cannot break them down.

It's not an easy thing to do when you are a top team in your own right, to sit back and let an opposition play the games on their terms. But to go toe-to-toe with Barca in a possession sense would be a suicidal plan for any team.

Fortunately, Wolfsburg are blessed with a lot of experience and they will not be fazed by this proposition. Many of them will have done it before and they'll know it's a necessary part of the plan to win.

One weakness in this Wolfsburg team in recent weeks has been in midfield due to the absence of Lena Lattwein. The Germany international is an incredibly intelligent footballer and an integral part of the team, with them just not as solid in the centre of the park without her.

It was something that Arsenal boss Jonas Eidevall identified and did his best to get his team to exploit during the semi-finals, with the Gunners very notably targeting the middle of the pitch early on in the second leg at the Emirates - until Wolfsburg made a change.

That change was to put Alex Popp in there. The Germany star is an insanely versatile footballer. Usually a goal machine in a forward position, she can also bring gritty qualities to the middle of the park when needed.

Wolfsburg and Stroot will hope that is not necessary for this final, though, as the preference would certainly be to have a deadly finisher like her in those attacking areas. Instead, they will hope that Lattwein is fit enough to start this final alongside another fantastic midfield enforcer, Lena Oberdorf, the 2020 NXGN winner. The pair form a truly excellent partnership.

If Lattwein isn’t ready for such a role, the coach will have a decision to make as he cannot allow his team to be so weak in midfield given that is probably Barca’s strongest department.

A more positive notable feature of Wolfsburg’s play in that Arsenal tie was just how good the German side are from set-pieces. From a free-kick taken by Felicitas Rauch just inside Arsenal's half, Popp headed the ball down and into the path of Jill Roord for their first goal, the former Gunner striking it well from the edge of the box to beat Manuela Zinsberger. For their second, it was another great delivery from Rauch that was met by Popp, this time a corner that the forward directed into the back of the net at the near post.

This has been a huge strength of theirs all season long, though, not just in this one particular game. In the league, Wolfsburg scored 16 goals from set-plays this past season. That’s double the amount of Bayern Munich, the team next on the list. They also scored the most headed goals and had the most headed shots in the division, while Rauch created more chances from set-pieces than any other player, with Svenja Huth, another regular taker, third.

Their stats are similarly strong in Europe, but they’ll have to make sure they use their big aerial presence on the defensive side, too, because it’s actually Barca who have scored the most headed goals in this year’s UWCL.

Something that makes Wolfsburg even more effective with that dominance in the air is their strong wide play. With it anticipated that the German side’s best opportunities against Barca will be on the counter, the pace and skill of their wingers will be crucial.

The Catalans have two full-backs who love to get forward, with Lucy Bronze on the right and Fridolina Rolfo – actually a forward – on the left. So, when Wolfsburg do break down attacks and win the ball back, it will be important for them to exploit the spaces in behind the pair in transition.

Fortunately, they have a great crop of wingers who can do this – either from the start or off the bench. Svenja Huth is the one with the street smarts, an experienced and clever footballer whose work rate is as impressive as her creativity. Sveindis Jonsdottir and Jule Brand are the promising youngsters whose talent is a little more raw and still being refined but they are explosive and fearless and full of quality. Indeed, Brand made the difference from the bench in the semi-final triumph over Arsenal.

Then there is Tabea Wassmuth, more of a goalscorer than a true out-and-out winger, but someone whose eye for a pass and ability to link-up with team-mates is excellent. Throw in the rapid speed of centre-forward Pajor, and Wolfsburg will be very deadly when they turn the ball over.

Physical. It’s a word thrown around a lot when it comes to German women’s football, whether it refers to the national team, the Frauen-Bundesliga or, in this case, Wolfsburg themselves. It’s something Ingrid Engen, who signed for Barcelona from Wolfsburg in 2021, said about her former club just last week. “They focus more on the physicality in Germany,” she said, identifying the differences between the two clubs.

“[It was] more direct in the way we played there. As a midfielder you're not maybe as involved as I am here in Barcelona. That's maybe the biggest difference for me. Here, I am more involved when we start with the ball from behind.”

Sometimes, being described as a physical team can have negative connotations, suggesting that a team is not great at actually playing football and ignoring their technical and tactical attributes. It is a word that can be used with the intent to quite literally say that, even.

But Wolfsburg are a physical team. At the same time, they are also a team full of technically-gifted players with great tactical brains. It doesn’t have to be perceived as a negative thing that they are very strong, very fast and very athletic, too. Engen herself talked about being a physical player - but she’s wonderfully talented with the ball at her feet as well.

Barca do not have a squad of pushovers by any means, but they will be outmatched at times in those duels on Saturday. Wolfsburg need to own that physicality and use it to their advantage, particularly in the midfield areas. The more that Oberdorf and those around her can get stuck into tackles and stop Barca from playing, the better their team will fare.

Above it all, Wolfsburg have a lot of world-class talent in their team. They might not be the favourites to emerge victorious from this game, but they have plenty of players who can win a Champions League final.

The first that comes to mind is Popp. She’s a player that both Engen and Bronze picked out for praise, even, when speaking to the press last week. “For both Germany and Wolfsburg, she's kind of their talismanic player, the one that shows up in the big games and the big moments and leads by example, leads the team and has that mentality,” Bronze said, in what turned out to be an incredibly glowing review of the veteran.

“I think over the past three, four or five years, she's been one of the best players in the world. She has probably been overlooked a little bit because she plays in Germany. If she played in another country or won the Champions League more, I think her name would be on the top of a lot of lists for the best player in the world.”

Engen, too, talked about her former team-mate being “on her highest level now” after a difficult season last year with injuries, but added: “I think the players in their offensive line are all really good and can create danger against any team they play. It's hard to pick just one player. I think all of them have the ‘X factor’.”

It’s Pajor who sits at the top of the goalscoring charts in Europe this season, having demonstrated some of the best form in front of goal of any player on the planet at times. The creativity of players like Huth, Brand and Jonsdottir are a big reason why both she and Popp have been so productive, too.

Then there is the sprinkling of quality that can come from elsewhere in the blink of an eye. Players like Roord, Lattwein and Oberdorf all have a knack for the spectacular, for instance.

Barca are the favourites to win this trophy and they are a truly gorgeous football team, but Wolfsburg are not just here to make up the numbers. They have plenty of quality that can win them a third Champions League title. Saturday is the time to show it.