+ The Swedes
Fridolina Rolfö is the only Swedish national team player expected to start in the final, according to the European Football Association's (Uefa) preliminary line-ups. The 31-year-old, who decided the CL final against Wolfsburg in Eindhoven two years ago and is chasing her third consecutive title, is likely to play left-back in Barcelona.
Stina Blackstenius jumped in at the end of Arsenal's league finale at home against Manchester United (4–3) a couple of weeks ago. The 29-year-old striker is not expected to get the chance from the start now, just like midfielder Rosa Kafaji.
Earlier in May, Arsenal announced that both national team defender Amanda Ilestedt and Lina Hurtig would leave the club after the season.
+ The Barcelona Dynasty
Barcelona is playing its sixth Champions League final and is chasing its fourth title in the tournament. The Spanish giant can also take a quadruple for the second year in a row after winning the Spanish supercup and the league so far this season. In June, Barça will face Atlético Madrid in the final of the Spanish Cup.
Arsenal is longing for its first title this year and, if so, its first since the league cup win last season. The London team has won the Champions League once, in the 2006–2007 season after a final win against Umeå.
+ Criticism Despite Success
Despite the dominance in recent years, Barcelona has faced a lot of criticism this season under new coach Pere Romeu. In March, there was a historic first loss in El Clásico against rival Real Madrid, which has not had a women's team for a long time, in front of the home crowd at the Johan Cruijff Stadium. In the CL group stage premiere away against Manchester City in October, there was a surprising 0–2 loss.
We were clearly not good enough in those matches, but I think the criticism from the outside has been too tough in relation to what we have achieved, says Norwegian attacking star Caroline Graham Hansen.
+ Stolen Trophy Recovered
Last Saturday, the CL trophy was stolen during the men's league match between Viktor Gyökeres' Sporting and Vitória Guimaraes at the José Alvalade Stadium.
Earlier this week, the news came that the trophy, along with other belongings, had been returned to Uefa. Thirteen suspected perpetrators have been identified by the Portuguese police and the investigation is ongoing.
