Manchester United Women v Bayern Munich Women match programme, UWCL, 25.03.26

INSide

YOUR MATCH PROGRAMME

04 14 18 31

HEAD COACH’S COLUMN

TALK OF THE TERRACE

CAPTAIN’S COLUMN

OLD TRAFFORD INFOGRAPHIC

MILLIE TURNER EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

ELISABETH TERLAND POSTER

SPORTS TEAM’S ALEX GREENWOOD

FAN MESSAGES

THE OPPOSITION

JUNIOR REDS

STATS AT THE BACK

ADDED-TIME QUIZ

MANCHESTER UNITED FOOTBALL CLUB

Co-chairmen Joel Glazer, Avram Glazer

Directors Bryan Glazer, Kevin Glazer, Edward Glazer, Darcie Glazer Kassewitz, Michael Edelson, Sir Alex Ferguson, David Gill CBE, Omar Berrada, Sir Dave Brailsford Secretary Rebecca Britain

Honorary president Martin Edwards

MATCH PROGRAMME TEAM

Editor Charlie Ghagan Contributors Mikey Partington, Isaac Stacey Stronge, Helen Rowe-Willcocks, Sean Mullan, Jamie Spencer, Matt Brown, Ste Canavan, Millie Lumb Design Tom Chase Photography Poppy Townson, Ash Donelon, Zohaib Alam, Getty, Alamy Thanks to Ellie Decrop, Paul Davies, John Shiel, Mark Froggatt

SKINNER Marc

THIS IS A FIXTURE WE’VE ALL BEEN LOOKING FORWARD TO SINCE THE QUARTER-FINAL DRAW WAS MADE, AND WITH YOU FANS FIRMLY BEHIND US, THE TEAM WILL BE GIVING EVERYTHING TO SECURE A FIRST-LEG ADVANTAGE...

Iam delighted to welcome you back to another special UEFA Champions League night under the lights here at Old Trafford. Our last European game here, against Paris Saint-Germain, was a night to remember, and it’s one we’ve all been looking forward to building on.

I’m incredibly proud of this team and how we have represented the club in this competition so far. This season, we’ve continued to make history – playing more games than ever before – and through both the highs and the challenges, we’ve stood together as one.

Tonight brings a different test. Bayern Munich are a top side, and there is a deep respect between these two clubs that goes beyond the pitch. That respect is clear in how Bayern pay tribute to those lost in the Munich Air Disaster

on its anniversary – something that means so much to everyone connected to Manchester United.

We know the level required tonight. But we also know who we are. If we stay true to ourselves and deliver our game with courage and discipline, we’ve already shown we can compete with the very best in Europe.

Saturday’s league game against Everton was an epic win built on togetherness, and that spirit will be crucial again tonight.

As always, your support makes the difference. Be loud, be proud, and drive the team forward.

picture THE BIG MEL SPARKS THE CELEBRATIONS...

Just look at those faces in the red shirts!

With 93 minutes on the clock at the Progress With Unity Stadium on Saturday afternoon, the vast majority of those inside our regular Leigh home were feeling somewhat deflated. Moments earlier, Imma Gabarro had headed home an equaliser for Everton – a rare opportunity for the visitors, with United having held an advantage since the 38th minute when Elisabeth Terland fired home (inset). A draw, coming on the back of our stalemate at West Ham days earlier, wouldn’t have been great news for our hopes of securing a

top-three finish in the WSL, and with it the reward of UEFA Champions League football next season. Step forward Melvine Malard, who – from Fridolina Rolfo’s inswinging corner towards the near post – got her head to the ball to beat Courtney Brosnan in the Toffees’ goal, sparking scenes of wild celebration, both on the pitch and in the stands. And with top-three rivals Chelsea drawing at London City Lionesses on the same day, it made for an excellent afternoon all in, as the Reds moved back up to second place. It means this Saturday’s Manchester derby here at Old Trafford will be a battle of the top two. If you haven’t got your ticket yet, what are you waiting for?!

Terrace TAlk ofthe

ALL THE CHAT AHEAD OF A HUGE QUARTER-FINAL, FIRST LEG...

We’re back at Old Trafford for a massive night in the UEFA Women’s Champions League – what a fixture this is… United v Bayern needs little introduction. This is of course one of the most famous match-ups in our club’s storied European history, being the game that our men produced an incredible stoppage-time comeback in, to win the Champions League and complete a famous Treble in 1999. The sides have met 13 times over the years in the

men’s game and, tonight, our women’s team face the Bavarians for the first time competitively, in the latest chapter of what has been a memorable maiden term in the ‘proper’ section of the women’s tournament. For all the glitz and the glamour of the tie, there’s a job to do for Marc Skinner’s charges in this quarter-final first leg, and that job will be the focus of those in red when the teams emerge from the tunnel just before kick-off.

While it’s our first competitive meeting with Bayern, there are plenty of links between the clubs, aren’t there... The latest link was formed only two months ago, when striker Lea Schuller – who scored more than 100 goals for Bayern – made the transfer between the clubs and joined us in the mid-season window. In fact, Schuller is one of four Reds in Skinner’s squad to have previously represented the German champions, with Leah Galton, Fridolina Rolfo and Julia Zigiotti also previously calling Munich home. Schuller and Zigiotti were both in the Bayern line-up when they edged past us in the final of the seven-a-side World Sevens tournament last summer, and the teams have also connected through friendly fixtures over the years, with the Bavarians an opponent on our pre-season schedules in both 2022 and 2023. There’s a good relationship between the clubs, while the

city of Munich is synonymous with our darkest hour after the 1958 Air Disaster, and Bayern have always been respectful of that.

We’ll visit Munich next Wednesday for the second leg, which will also be played at their main stadium, the Allianz Arena… Bayern’s ground hosts just north of 75,000 spectators and will be another fitting venue for this tie to be contested in, after tonight’s Old Trafford encounter. We’ll hope to take a good result over to the German city, where the clash will be decided, with El Clasico heavyweights Barcelona or Real Madrid awaiting in the semi-finals. That last-four reward would of course be a first for United, while Bayern have reached that stage twice – their best-ever finishes in the competition came as they made it to the semis in 2019 and 2021. Our goal over the next week (as

well as beating Manchester City here on Saturday, of course) is to prevent Bayern from reaching a third semi-final, while securing a historic berth of our own.

We come into tonight’s game on the back of a dramatic win over Everton at the weekend, that should give the Reds confidence ahead of kick-off… There was no doubting that it had been a tough week for Skinner’s Reds after the international break, having lost the Subway Women’s League Cup final to Chelsea, before being held to a draw by West Ham on our return to Barclays Women’s Super League action last midweek. But Saturday’s victory over Everton felt like a massive result both in the context of qualifying for next term’s UEFA Champions League and ahead of another crunch week on our schedule. Rolfo told MUTV post-match that Melvine Malard’s stoppage-time winner, mere minutes after the Toffees looked to have snatched a last-gasp point, will give United belief going forward into a mouthwatering week, that sees WSL leaders and crosstown rivals City come here in three days’ time, after Bayern tonight. Our full focus right now is on the latter though and making positive strides in our quarter-final tie, ahead of next week’s return leg in Munich. Let’s get right behind the Reds and bring the noise! ●

WOMEN’S ASIAN CUP

HINI HITS GOLD!

Midfielder Miyazawa takes the top prize while away with national team

As you might have heard our man-on-the-mic Alan Keegan announce at the Progress With Unity Stadium on Saturday shortly after the news came through, Hinata Miyazawa is an Asian Cup winner, following Japan’s 1-0 victory over hosts Australia in Sydney.

Midfielder Miyazawa started the final in Sydney and played the full 90 minutes of the clash against the Matildas, attended by almost 75,000 fans.

In a meeting between two of the pre-tournament favourites – and with a host of WSL players on the pitch – Australia struggled to break down a strong Japan side, who calmly managed the contest following Maika Hamano’s decisive goal in the 17th minute. Miyazawa, who missed Saturday’s win over Everton and our two games before then due to her participation at the

tournament, has proved key to Japan’s third Asian Cup title.

The 26-year-old featured in all six games, while providing three goals and two assists on their route to victory. That included netting a hat-trick in her nation’s 11-0 win over India in the group phase.

The midfielder – who won the Golden Boot at the 2023 Women’s World Cup – had

featured in all 32 of the Reds’ matches this term before her departure for Australia.

She was rewarded with a new long-term contract in December, just months after hitting 50 appearances for us, in September’s 5-1 away win at London City Lionesses.

Fans will be eager to see our no.20 return to club action this week. Congratulations, Hini!

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION PARTNER OF MANCHESTER UNITED

Maya THE CAPTAIN

HAVING EARNED OUR PLACE AMONG EUROPE’S FINAL EIGHT, NOW’S THE TIME TO SHOW WE’RE MORE THAN A MATCH FOR THE GERMAN CHAMPIONS...

What a big few days we have in store here at Old Trafford – two massively important games in two competitions that we’re all really looking forward to. Against Everton on Saturday in the league we had to really rally late on to get the three points, and you could see what Melvine’s goal meant to us all when it found the back of their net in the 94th minute!

Hopefully that result can set the tone for our games ahead, starting with this first leg against Bayern Munich in the UEFA Women’s Champions League.

Although we’ve never faced them before, we all know what an excellent team Bayern are. Along with Barcelona, Lyon and Chelsea they were one of the four teams to go straight through to the quarter-finals. But we only finished one point behind them in the league phase, and having now played in the knockout round play-off, our results and performances against Atletico have given us extra belief that we belong at this stage of the competition.

Playing under the floodlights at Old Trafford will add to the sense of occasion tonight, and it will only increase the belief we have in ourselves as a team. We put in a strong performance here against PSG in November, and we didn’t let their equaliser right on half-time affect how we approached the second half. It was a professional display and we need another one tonight.

We absolutely deserve to be in the last eight, and we’ll be giving everything to go even further, both tonight and next Wednesday out in Germany.

Ten at the

TONIGHT THE REDS REACH DOUBLE FIGURES FOR GAMES PLAYED AT OLD TRAFFORD -- HERE’S THE STATISTICAL STORY OF OUR M16 MATCHES TO DATE...

MOST RECENT GOAL

FRIDOLINA ROLFO

(UNITED v PSG, 58TH MINUTE) 12 NOV 2025

MULTIPLE

OLD TRAFFORD

SCORERS

3 RUSSO, ZELEM

ELLA TOONE 9 MOST APPEARANCES

Only Tooney has a full house, but she awaits her first Old Trafford goal (she’s got a few assists though!)

GAMES BY COMP

1

What a undernight the floodlights as we beat PSG in Europe four months ago!

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

All of Zelem’s came from the penalty spot, with 3/3 successful spot-kicks here!

dOwn to T he fiNal eigHt

FOUR TWO-LEGGED TUSSLES WILL

DECIDE THE SEMI-FINAL

LINE-UP,

WITH GERMANY, FRANCE, SPAIN AND ENGLAND ALL INVOLVED...

We enter the business end of the UEFA Women’s Champions League this week, and as you’d expect in this stage of Europe’s premier competition, that means some mouthwatering ties, alongside our double-header with Bayern Munich. Eight teams, including ourselves, are vying for a place in the UWCL’s last four, with the first legs of the quarter-finals taking place across last night and this evening. Sounding the klaxon on Tuesday’s action was Wolfsburg, in a tea-time kick-off at the 30,000-capacity Volkswagen Arena. Wolfsburg are

accustomed to entering matches in this tournament as the more experienced team, having regularly gone far in the competition, including trophy lifts in 2013 and 2014, but the German side have nothing on their latest opponents: eight-time winners OL Lyonnes

Wolfsburg made it to this stage in some style, after they went two goals down to Juventus in the first leg of their knockout-phase play-off, before bringing it back to 2-2 on the night and progressing with a 2-0 win in Turin, but they’ll be expecting an even bigger challenge to progress beyond the last eight.

Their French opponents were parachuted into the quarters by way of an excellent second-place finish in the league phase, while their domestic form has been even more impressive in recent weeks. At the time of writing OL Lyonnes are on the cusp of retaining their Premiere Ligue title – and a 19th in their history – with several games to spare, ahead of Nantes, Paris FC and

Paris Saint-Germain. They recently beat the latter in the inaugural Coupe LFFP (French League Cup) final, held in Abidjan, Ivory Coast – Melchie Dumornay netting the game’s only goal, in front of 27,900 fans. Last night also saw another eye-catching head-to-head: an all-London last-eight meeting between incumbent champions Arsenal and Chelsea. The Gunners made light work of OH Leuven in the knockout phase play-offs, putting seven goals past the Belgians across the two games to set up this capital clash. The Blues are one of England’s most formidable teams, but Renee Slegers’ Arsenal probably went into this one quietly confident, given their recent record against Sonia Bompastor’s Blues. Arsenal came away with all three points after their WSL away trip to Stamford Bridge in January, thanks to goals from Beth Mead and Mariona Caldentey. That result means the Gunners are currently

Domestically, Barça are running away with LigaF andthey’ve won allthreemeetings with realmadrid so farthisterm

unbeaten this term against Chelsea, following on from a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture in November.

Sticking with derbies in the UWCL quarter-finals, they don’t come much bigger than a clasico. Just hours before we get under way here at Old Trafford, Real Madrid welcome arch-rivals Barcelona to the Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium, before a second-leg showdown at the Nou Camp next week.

Domestically, Barça are running away with Liga F – their points advantage over Real Madrid in second has stretched into double figures – and they’ve won all three of their meetings with their biggest rivals so far this term, by an aggregate score of 10-0.

No prizes for guessing who the favourites are in that one, but it remains a fascinating clash. It’s one we’ll want to keep an eye on this evening too, as success against Bayern over these two legs would see us pitted against the clasico victors in the semis.

M T

We’ve jUst gOt to gO foR it, hAven’t we...

BACK IN THE FOLD FOLLOWING A FRUSTRATING END TO 2025 THROUGH INJURY, MILLIE TURNER JOINS

US ON A CARRINGTON COUCH TO DISCUSS WHAT UNITED v BAYERN MEANS TO HER, AS WELL AS TWO BIG PERSONAL MILESTONES ON THE HORIZON...

Interview Charlie Ghagan

After missing four months through injury, not only are you back in action but you’ve been back in the starting XI – you must be happy with your form... Yeah, I’m very happy. It was difficult going through back-to-back injuries, so coming back and being able to get back into the team and help the team, it’s been an amazing feeling.

As is so often the way in football, your return to the starting XI came about due to injuries elsewhere in defence. But that strength in depth at the back seems stronger than ever, doesn’t it... Definitely. Obviously, we’ve struggled with injuries recently, and it is so important to have the depth that we have, and I think the quality that we have now is there for everyone to see. To be able to rotate the way that we can is what we’ve always wanted and what we’ve always needed, especially when we’ve got so many games coming up.

The winter arrivals clearly helped in that respect. How would you say they have settled in... They’ve come in and it’s like they’ve been here forever. And I feel I’ve always said that about our new signings but we are so lucky to have such a close, tight-knit environment. They’ve been brilliant since arriving and they each bring different experiences from their previous teams, which is great for us all.

As has been the case with so many of our signings over the years, there does seem to be a sense that they’ve got the right character and mentality... Defo. As a squad, I think we’ve always had that in abundance. So when new players come in, they can only join us! It’s special.

FULL NAME Millie Turner

DATE OF BIRTH 7 July 1996

POSITION Defender

PLACE OF BIRTH

Wilmslow, Cheshire

YOUTH CAREER

Manchester United, Everton

SENIOR CAREER

2014-17 Everton

46 games, 3 goals

2017-18 Bristol City

31 games, 2 goals

2018- Manchester United

184 games, 12 goals

INTERNATIONAL CAREER

England: 1 cap, 0 goals

HONOURS

Women’s Championship 2018/19

Women’s FA Cup 2024

We have to ask you about your goal against London City Lionesses. That must have been particularly enjoyable following your injury, and predictably, it was a header. You’ve now scored 12 goals for United, and we can only recall one that wasn’t a header. Can you confirm? No – I think I’ve actually scored two with my feet! One was against West Ham [in November 2023], when I went on the overlap. And then the other one was in the Conti Cup quarter-final against City, at home [in January 2025]. It was a bit of a half-volley. We lost 2-1 so I can see why that one was forgotten!

Ah, yes, that City game! Still, 10 out of 12 with your head – would you say that sort of ratio has been the way throughout your whole career? To score with my feet has always been rare, to be honest. I’ve only ever scored goals with my head!

The celebrations were great for that London City goal. You clearly enjoyed the moment... I did. The girls said that I should have carried on the celebration instead of not even making it out the box, but I just got too excited [laughs]!

As for your appearances, 200 is edging closer – is that something you keep a close eye on? It would be great to join Ella in that ‘200 club’, wouldn’t it... Yeah, definitely. I wouldn’t say I pay close attention to the 200, but I’ve been at the club since this team started, so I just want to make as many appearances as I can and help us to carry on creating history.

Let’s move on to the Champions League, with Bayern Munich next up in the quarter-finals. What’s the mood like in the camp about this double-header with the German champions?

Every single one of us is just so excited for these games. We’re ready for it. We’ve been playing in the Champions League for a while now. We went through the qualifiers and we’ve been doing really well and everyone can see that. I think we’re a bit of an underdog team in this cup – we’re ready for anything.

When you get down to the last eight, who knows what can happen, right?

Exactly. Anything can happen now. We’re in the quarters... we’ve just got to go for it, haven’t we.

And we’ll have the Allianz Arena to visit for the second leg, right on the back of two games at Old Trafford. Have you been there before, and how much does the whole big-stadium fixture excite you now, or do you take them all in your stride? I’d say it’s something we’re used to now. We’ve been getting more exposure to bigger stadiums, but it’s still nice to play in these stadiums. It’ll be exciting to go over there and play at the Allianz for the first time, especially coming off the back of these two games at Old Trafford, which we’re really excited about too.

thebigthree-O thissummer?Idon’t feellikethatatall though,Istillfeel 25.AskTooneyand she’llsayI’mstill12!

Have you been to Munich before?

Never, actually. For the Wolfsburg game I had to stay back, because of my injury. I don’t think I’ve even been to Germany... oh, actually I have [laughs]! I’ve definitely never been to the stadium, though. It looks really cool, a proper cool stadium.

What does ‘United v Bayern’ evoke memories of for you? The Nou Camp final in ’99 is the obvious one for many United supporters... I would have been three! But that’s one that stands out for obvious reasons. This fixture also makes me think of all the games between England and Germany – whether club games or international games, there’s always a big sense of rivalry. It makes for a game that always means a lot, and this is one we’re now a part of.

Having Lea and Julia in our ranks can only help, with them both having recent experience of playing at Bayern. Have you spoken to them much about these upcoming fixtures?

I wouldn’t say we’ve spoken much about it, but we know quite a lot about Bayern, and we know they’re going to be a very difficult opponent to play. But we’re 100 per cent going to be ready for that.

You’ve got a big birthday coming up in a few months’ time. How are you looking forward to that? Thirty is the new 25 in modern-day professional football, right? Don’t remind me of that! I don’t think about it at all, to be honest. But, yep, the big three-O... I don’t feel like that at all though, I still feel 25. Ask Tooney and she’ll say I’m still 12 [laughs]! So honestly, I don’t think about it, but like you say, 30 is young these days in football terms, so I’ll still have plenty of years left.

Maintaining the

You must feel like one of the experienced seniors within the squad though, right? From your appearance count as much as anything... Yeah, I think that’s the thing – I’ve got a lot of appearances now for this club. I’ve been here since the start and seen every single player come and go here. So in terms of that, I’ve got a lot of experience and that counts for something. Hopefully that I can help the team through my experience and we can keep pushing on as a group.

It’s impressive just how many leaders are across the squad now. We get the sense that in every part of pitch there are players who could step up and wear the armband, like Dom did in Madrid... Yeah, definitely. If you have leaders within individual units of the team, it’s good for us all. Everyone’s communicating on the pitch and we’ve all got the same drive and same goal, so that’s really important.

A question on the fans. We know the post-match autographs are a thing in the past, but do you still get to enjoy many fan interactions? You must recognise a lot of them after all these years... Yeah, defo. The way our fanbase has grown since I’ve been here has been incredible. Every year, it seems like it’s getting bigger and bigger. We can’t

Ifyouhaveleaders withinindividualunits oftheteam,it’sgood forusall.Everyone’s communicating...that’s reallyimportant

thank our fans enough for following us everywhere, and being our 12th player every single week.

And finally, just a quick one on Carrington. How are you enjoying the set-up here? And how much has it benefited you doing your recovery? Being here now, it’s incredible, and nutrition wise as well, with our nutritionists and our chef Jimmy. It’s fantastic what we’ve got and what the staff around us have to offer. We all feel we’re definitely in the best place we can be.

Empowering kindness across our communities

MANCHESTER UNITED

CROSS-BORDER COHESION

Participants from both sides of Irish border integrate for tournament

Manchester United Foundation has brought together participants from two of its outreach areas across the Irish Sea to play in an inclusive football tournament.

The Foundation has an established presence in Derry/Londonderry stretching back to 2018, stemming from a partnership with Ulster University which continues today, forming part of its outreach programme beyond Manchester.

More recently, however, the Foundation has also begun working in Dungloe, in County Donegal – its first venture outside the United Kingdom.

This work takes place as part of a partnership with the International Fund for Ireland, enabling cross-border opportunities, which includes a

full-time school partnership officer being based in Rosses Community School, and the provision of free community football sessions as part of the Foundation’s Street Reds programme.

Through the tournament, integrating participants from both Derry/Londonderry and Dungloe, the young people were encouraged to come together as one to foster a sense of community and belonging.

Such events, which have previously included trips to Manchester, have led to friendships being formed by young people from both sides of the border.

Claragh, who attends Oakgrove Integrated College in Derry/ Londonderry, said: “I was looking forward to this tournament as I had been on a previous trip with the girls from Rosses Community

School last year. The tournament was really good, all the teams were mixed and I got to meet lots of new people. Without Manchester United Foundation I would never have had the opportunity to find these new friends.”

Meanwhile, Rosses Community School pupil Mary added: “The tournament was enjoyable because we got to build connections with people from different schools and counties. It was fun to meet and get to know people from another school because football is one of the common interests we share.

“It’s great that the partnership between the schools and the Foundation gave us the opportunity to meet; we feel very lucky to have this available to us.”

For more, visit mufoundation.org

Stands IN THE WHO’S HERE FOR TONIGHT’S BIG GAME?

↑ Katie Robins is a proud season ticket holder, and she’s celebrating her 19th birthday!

↑ Happy 18th birthday

↑ Shout-out to Sue Baines on her 66th birthday, love from Nicola.

↑ Steven Smith and his daughter love a flag!

↑ Hello to Molly and Ebony, both 15 and big fans of Phallon and Ella. Great to have you here, girls!

YOUR TEXT MESSAGES

● Happy birthday, Aunty Belle! All of love – Lisa, Tim, Kaleb and Clemmie. (And sticking with the same United family... happy belated birthday to Kaleb – love Mummy, Daddy & Clemmie!)

● Happy 44th birthday Stewart, love from Maddie.

● Happy 58th birthday for today to Maxine Smith. Hope you have a great day, love Helen.

● Mckenzie Thomlinson and was 12 years on Saturday, when he attended our game against Everton.

● Happy 15th birthday for yesterday to Jessica Ward.

Donate new or good quality pre-loved books to children in need

Manchester United Women

v Manchester City Women

Saturday 28 March, Old Trafford

Donation points at bag drop locations across Old Trafford

“IT’S SUCH AN EXCITING TIME TO BE A FAN”

Away from her own Mercury Prize-nominated band, there’s only one Sports Team for Alex Greenwood (no, not that one!) with United Women’s recent rise even moving the drummer to tears...

Following the mighty Reds as a matchgoing supporter can be quite the challenge when you’re often hundreds – or even thousands – of miles away from Old Trafford or Leigh.

Just ask Alex Greenwood, drummer for critically acclaimed alternative rock band, Sports Team. “These days I try to get to the match as much as I can, but it all depends on touring schedules,” she tells us. “And that includes the women’s games because they are great.”

Alex, who grew up in Leeds but only ever supported the Reds on account of her family links to Greater Manchester, has been passionate about football since she was a young girl, and after over two decades of following our men’s team she’s now a fully fledged aficionado of United Women, which she’s enjoying more than ever this season.

“One of my real regrets is that we didn’t have a women’s team when I was growing up,” says Alex, who (as we’ll soon discover),

was pals with a current Red when she was young. “I played with the lads, and I didn’t even know women’s football was a thing, that you could play it professionally.

“So now, as a Red, to be able to go to Old Trafford and watch a professional United Women team play... it’s amazing, especially as they’re doing so well. When you watch them play it reminds me of the Fergie era – there is a level of determination, grit and character.

“They have a bit of swagger, verve and personality that you can really buy into. It’s such an exciting time to be a fan of our women’s team.”

When Alex is watching our men’s side in action here in M16, she’s usually sat alongside her dad and his friends – “they’ve all become a massive, crucial part of my network... they’re the relationships you build through the club” – and how she enjoys spreading the word on the achievements of Marc Skinner’s charges. “I’m constantly trying to educate my dad’s mates on how well they are doing!” she says. “I went to Madrid for the Atletico game and we look like

IwenttoMadrid

fortheAtletico

game...It’s indisputablethat thewomenhave outperformed expectations

Rice] are big Swansea City fans... riddle me that!”

such a tyrant on the European stage, which is not what anybody expected at the start of the season. It’s indisputable that the women have outperformed expectations this season.”

Alex (who shares a name with our 2018/19 Championshipwinning captain, of course) isn’t the only Red in Sports Team, who all met in Cambridge a decade ago and are known for songs such as M5, Fishing and Here’s the Thing.

“Our keyboard player Ben is a big Red – him and his dad had a season ticket and used to go together to the match at Old Trafford – while bass player Henry and singer Ricey [Alex

The drummer describes our 2024 Women’s FA Cup triumph as her best day to date following United Women. “I’ve never cried like it, I was so proud!” she says.

“Leah Galton, who was in the squad that day, is an old school friend and to see her and her family that day... it was an emotional full circle.”

Alex’s passion for women’s football extends to her role as co-founder for Girls United, a non-profit organisation seeking to create a level playing field for girls. “Seeing that FA Cup final was a coming together of my work at Girls United and to see my club do that at Wembley, when I grew up thinking we’d never have a women’s team... wow!” ●

The 22-year-old full-back – capped 10 times by Sweden – was injured in the first leg of our UWCL tie against Atletico last month and is likely to miss our next run of fixtures.

2. ANNA SANDBERG 3. GABBY GEORGE

The versatile defender’s next game for the Reds will be her 50th since she signed from Everton in September 2023. Our no.3 also has three caps for England.

SQUAD SN APSHOTs

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THOSE IN RED...

MAYA LE TISSIER 7. ELLA TOONE

Ella is close to a return following a hip injury. The last time she was injured, she came back in fine form, being named WSL Player of the Month for January 2025.

ELISABETH TERLAND

Our current top scorer for ’25/26, with 15 goals in all competitions. It means Teri needs just three more to equal the club record: Jess Sigsworth, 18 in 2018/19.

Our captain is an ever-present in Skinner’s XI, and recently moved into fifth in our all-time appearance record with 130 outings, behind former skipper Katie Zelem (161).

8. JESS PARK

The fleet-footed no.8 has quite the highlights reel from her first term with the Reds – and she added a fifth WSL assist of the season to her name on Saturday.

LEAH GALTON

A back issue has kept Leah out in recent weeks, meaning she’s unlikely to face former club Bayern Munich tonight. Galton is third in our all-time appearances list.

The Swedish defender has already made 12 appearances since her January arrival. She previously played for Hammarby, Atletico Madrid and San Diego Wave.

MELVINE MALARD

Malard was our last-action hero against Everton on Saturday –with 22 United goals, the French forward is now ninth on our all-time top goalscorers list.

FRIDOLINA ROLFO

The Swede made her return from injury against Chelsea in the League Cup final, and has since showed her versatility by playing as full-back rather than in a wide attacking role.

Also currently on the Reds’ roster for the 2025/26 season: 1. KAYLA RENDELL (GK);

13. SIMI AWUJO

Simi has two United goals to her name since the turn of the year, and the Canadian midfielder reached 20 appearances for the Reds this season in Saturday’s win.

The 30-year-old made her 70th appearance for the Reds on Saturday, with 30 of those coming in 2025/26 – the first time she’s ever played 30 games in a season.

JAYDE RIVIERE

Our Canadian right-back returned from injury for the League Cup final, only to be back sidelined last weekend. She’s expected to be back available tonight, however.

Janssen was replaced at half-time during our draw at West Ham, with it later confirmed as a hamstring issue. It means our no.17 now faces a spell on the sidelines.

The Norwegian, who joined United from Spurs in 2024, is expecting a baby, meaning she’ll be watching from the sidelines for the months ahead.

JULIA ZIGIOTTI

She wasn’t signed for her goals, but nobody’s been complaining about Zigiotti’s recent scoring streak. Julia’s first only came in January, but now she’s up to five. 15.

The League Cup final was a sixth Reds start for the 21-year-old forward, who previously played for Hammarby. A minor knock kept her out against Everton, however.

CELIN BIZET DONNUM 16. LISA NAALSUND 17. DOMINIQUE JANSSEN 19. ELLEN WANGERHEIM

Midfielder Miyazawa will return to Manchester this week as an Asian Cup winner, following Japan’s 1-0 victory over hosts Australia on Saturday.

LEA SCHULLER 20. HINATA MIYAZAWA

The German international – with a superb record of 55 goals from 84 caps – joined the Reds in late December, and is now up to 11 appearances in all competitions.

PATEL

The young Welsh international goalkeeper – capped eight times for her country – made her WSL and UWCL debuts this season, after her first-team bow in ’24/25.

TURNER

Millie has impressed in the heart of defence since returning from injury last month. Our former youth-team player has 12 goals in 185 appearances for the Reds.

PHALLON TULLISJOYCE

A commanding presence between the sticks, the 29-year-old is fresh from SheBelieves Cup victory with the USA, and she’s started 32 of our 35 games so far this season.

BAYERN MUNICH

Women have held positions of influence at Bayern Munich as far back as 1910, so it’s perhaps unsurprising that the club presides over one of the longest continually operated women’s teams in Europe – with more than half a century of history behind them. Still, consistent domestic success had to wait until well into the 21st century. They had been founder members of the Frauen-Bundesliga in 1990, but the power in Germany belonged to FFC Frankfurt, Turbine Potsdam and TSV Siegen, until the ascent of Bayern and Wolfsburg around 15 years ago – no one else has even finished in the top two since 2014. Bayern have found progress tougher on the European stage, however, having been knocked out in the quarter-finals in three of the last four seasons and currently aiming for a first semi-final since 2020/21.

RECENT FORM

Bayern are charging almost flawlessly towards a fourth straight league title. They haven’t dropped points since September and Friday’s win over Essen was a 19th in 20 games. Jose Barcala (left) and his team will face Essen again in a DFB-Pokal semi-final in early April, aiming to retain last season’s maiden domestic double. To reach tonight’s quarter-final, they finished fourth in the league phase, bypassing a knockout play-off. But 13 goals conceded was the most by any of the 12 teams that advanced. Barcelona put seven past Bayern in a surprising matchday-one trouncing, and the Bavarians only recorded one clean sheet overall. They were superb in attack, however, scoring late league-phase winners against Juventus – netted by Lea Schuller – and Arsenal, having been 2-0 down with 25 minutes left against the latter.

WHO TO LOOK OUT FOR...

ABOUT OUR OPPONENTS...

Formed: 1970

Nickname: Die Roten (The Reds)

Best achievements: German champions 1976, 2014/15, 2015/16, 2020/21, 2022/23, 2023/24, 2024/25; DFB-Pokal winners 2011/12, 2024/25; DFB-Supercup winners 2024, 2025

England international Georgia Stanway has taken her game to new levels since joining Bayern in 2022, but this is the midfielder’s fourth and final season in Munich as she prepares herself for a new challenge. Stanway wants to go out with a bang by winning “as many titles as possible” and is as tenacious off the ball as she is dangerous on it, particularly with an opportunity to shoot from distance. With left winger – and the Champions League’s top assister – Klara Buhl injured earlier this month, more of the creative onus could fall on Linda Dallmann (left) on the opposite flank. The 31-year-old, whose contract was extended to 2027 last week, has over 400 career appearances to her name – including 74 caps for Germany –and she has been a Bayern staple since transferring from Essen in the summer of 2019.

LAST UWCL LINE-UP

Last season: Frauen-Bundesliga 1st place, DFB-Pokal winners, DFB-Supercup winners, UEFA Women’s Champions League quarter-finals, top scorer (all comps): Pernille Harder (23)

the leaders

Getting Bayern “closer to winning the Champions League” was the vow Jose Barcala made when he took over as head coach from Angel City-bound Alexander Straus last May. The 44-year-old Spaniard, relatively new to management but with two decades of player development and coaching experience, was chosen because of similarities to his predecessor that match Bayern’s long-term objectives. Barcala preaches in-game flexibility so his team can adapt to dominate any situation. On the pitch, Icelandic centre-back Glodis Viggosdottir has been Bayern captain since 2023 and was nominated for the Ballon d’Or the following year. Starting out as a midfielder, she has a calmness on the ball and an ability to build play from the back. But a substantial physical presence also makes the 30-year-old a considerable threat at set-pieces, and she scored the late winner against Arsenal in November.

teams’ league-phase meeting in Munich

Joined Bayern in 2019 and played for the second team, before going on to make her first-team debut in January 2021. She has four league titles to her name.

VANESSA GILLES

Scored NWSL side Angel City’s first-ever goal, before going on loan to Lyon in 2022. She joined Bayern last summer and netted three times in her first five games.

MAGDALENA ERIKSSON

The former Chelsea defender is a familiar name to our Swedish group, as a national team-mate of Sandberg, Lundkvist, Zigiotti, Rolfo and Wangerheim, with 124 apps.

Four-time Bundesliga winner with Bayern, who she joined from another giant of the game in Lyon. The 33-year-old has made three European appearances this term.

The 22-year-old has split goalkeeping duties with Grohs in Europe this season. She has one senior cap for Germany, against Italy in December 2024.

STINE BALLISAGER

Played more than 100 games for Valerenga, our opponents earlier this term, before stints in America and Italy. She scored against her old side last time out in the UWCL.

GIULIA GWINN

A German international since 2017 who has spent her entire career in her home country. She was on the pitch as England defeated Germany in the Euro 2022 final.

The 17-year-old defender made her league debut against Essen in November, and was on the bench for Arsenal’s visit to Allianz Arena that same month.

ANNA KLINK

An experienced Frauen-Bundesliga player who has spent most of her career with Bayer Leverkusen. She spent two years with Basel, before signing for Die Roten last summer.

Named club captain in 2023 after signing from Rosengard in 2021. The Iceland international has lifted three German league titles and has a DFB Cup to her name.

KATHARINA NASCHENWENG

Won the league with Bayern in her first season after signing in 2023. Made her senior international debut aged just 18, and has since earned over 50 caps for Austria.

LINDA DALLMANN

Dom Janssen and Lea Schuller’s former Essen team-mate, the 31-year-old was joined by the latter at Bayern, where they spent five full seasons together.

ALARA

The 19-year-old midfielder kicked off her side’s comeback win over Arsenal in November, making it 2-1 to the Gunners before Harder and Viggosdottir finished the job.

ARIANNA CARUSO

Joined Bayern last year after racking up over 200 appearances for Juventus. At the age of 26, she already has seven league titles to her name in Italy and Germany.

JOVANA DAMNJANOVIC

The 31-year-old has been with our opponents tonight since 2017 and is nearing her 200th appearance, having notched a goal against PSG in the league phase in November.

PERNILLE HARDER

Bayern’s top scorer in the UWCL this term with five goals, two of which were scored in the 2-2 draw with Atletico in December. Harder was signed from Chelsea in 2023.

BERNADETTE AMANI

Signed from Spanish side UD Tenerife this winter, the Ivorian midfielder is only a handful of games into her career and still awaits a Champions League debut.

BARBARA DUNST

The Austria international joined the club last summer, and has featured regularly for them in the league, but is still waiting for her first European outing for Bayern.

FW 17

KLARA BUHL

A forward with three assists in her last two European outings, against Valerenga and Atletico Madrid. She teed up all three goals in Bayern’s comeback win over the Gunners.

NATALIA PADILLA-BIDAS

The Spanish-born attacker lines up for Poland at international level, and has spent the last two seasons on loan with FC Koln and Sevilla before returning this term.

MOMOKO TANIKAWA

The Japan international is a real threat from midfield. She scored her first-ever UWCL goal away at PSG, then bagged her second the next month against Valerenga.

GEORGIA STANWAY

A familiar face to the Lionesses in our squad, as a two-time Euros winner with England. Stanway is also well-known in Manchester due to a seven-year stay with City.

FW 20

FRANZISKA KETT

The young full-back recorded her first two UWCL assists this season, against Barcelona and Valerenga, but is still searching for a maiden European goal to add to her CV.

EDNA IMADE

Came back from a loan spell with Real Sociedad in January, where she managed to score 13 goals in 13 appearances. Imade’s added three for Bayern since returning.

‘JA’OR ‘NEIN’

FOUR OF THESE CLUBS PLAY IN GERMANY – BUT CAN YOU CIRCLE WHICH ONES? FACTS & FUNNIES FROM FRED THE RED!

IT MAY HAVE COME TO AN END RECENTLY, BUT OUR EIGHT-GAME WINNING RUN AT THE START OF 2026 WAS OUR LONGEST EVER...

8: 18 JAN ‘26 - 19 FEB ‘26 (BURNLEY, ARSENAL, ASTON VILLA, LIVERPOOL, LEICESTER, ATLETICO MADRID, LONDON CITY, ATLETICO MADRID)

7: 12 DEC ‘21 - 30 JAN ‘22 (BRIGHTON, EVERTON, ASTON VILLA, BIRMINGHAM, ARSENAL, TOTTENHAM, BRIDGWATER UNITED)

7: 19 MAR ‘23 -7 MAY ‘23

(LEWES, WEST HAM, BRIGHTON, BRIGHTON, ARSENAL, ASTON VILLA, TOTTENHAM)

EUROSTARS

Live every week on Sky Sports, BBC, and YouTube.

STATS

AT THE BACK

WOMEN’S SUPER LEAGUE TABLE, 2025/26

1

2

WSL TOP SCORERS, 2025/26 (ASSISTS

UNITED APPEARANCES & GOALS, 2025/26

RECORD APPEARANCES

Before this season, our appearance record for a single campaign was 33, set by Maya Le Tissier and Ella Toone in ’23/24. That tally has now been beaten by three players: Le Tissier and Julia Zigiotti are on 35, with Melvine Malard on 34. Zigiotti is about to serve a WSL suspension but who knows, with a bit of luck Maya could even reach 44 this term!

UWCL KNOCKOUT PHASE ’25/26 – THE ROAD TO OSLO

F IXTURES + RESULTS

ADDED-TIME QUIZ

CAN YOU GRAB A LATE WIN WITH TOP

MARKS IN OUR TEST?

1 Leah Galton joined Bayern Munich in December 2017 after another overseas spell, playing in which country?

2 How many goals did Lea Schuller net for tonight’s opponents last season, in all competitions: 16, 18 or 20?

3

From which current WSL side did Julia Zigiotti join Bayern in 2024?

4

At which club did Fridolina Rolfo win her first Frauen-Bundesliga title: Bayern Munich or Wolfsburg?

5

Who were our first UWCL opponents in a game played on home soil this season (in the third qualifying round)?

6 Of the two Netherlands internationals to have played for United Women, which one has made most appearances for us?

7 Which current Red successfully converted during the shoot-out as her nation were knocked out of Euro 2025 on penalties by Germany at the quarter-final stage?

8

In which country will the 2027 Women’s Champions League final be played: Poland or Portugal?

9

Three years ago today, Lucia Garcia bagged a brace as United beat West Ham at Old Trafford by what scoreline?

10 Which US international was the first non-British player to net a competitive goal for the Reds?

UNITED

I WANNA BE ADORED

MANCHESTER UNITED WOMEN

Head coach Marc Skinner

Kayla Rendell (GK)

Anna Sandberg

Gabby George

Maya Le Tissier

Hanna Lundkvist

Ella Toone

Jess Park

Melvine Malard

Elisabeth Terland

Leah Galton

Fridolina Rolfo

Simi Awujo

Jayde Riviere

Celin Bizet Donnum

Lisa Naalsund

Dominique Janssen

Julia Zigiotti

Ellen Wangerheim

Hinata Miyazawa

Millie Turner

Lea Schuller

Safia Middleton-Patel (GK)

Tamira Livingston

Jessica Anderson

Layla Drury

Phallon Tullis-Joyce (GK)

BAYERN MUNICH

Head coach Jose Barcala

Maria Luisa Grohs (GK)

Vanessa Gilles

Stine Ballisager

Glodis Viggosdottir

Magdalena Eriksson

Giulia Gwinn

Jovana Damnjanovic

Linda Dallmann

Alara

Bernadette Amani

Klara Buhl

Momoko Tanikawa

Katharina Naschenweng

Franziska Kett

Pernille Harder

Natalia Padilla-Bidas

Arianna Caruso

Barbara Dunst

Edna Imade

Carolin Simon

Georgia Stanway

Ena Mahmutovic (GK)

Luzie Zahringer

Anna Klink (GK)

Laura Dafinger

Karl

Elira Terakaj