After two seasons largely disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic, the series behind closed doors finally fade away to make way for supporters, expected in numbers from the knockout phase.

And for this 2021/22 edition, the clubs concerned have seen things big.

As a symbol, the first leg of the quarter-finals will kick off on Tuesday (6:45 p.m.) at the Allianz Arena, a first for the women's section of Bayern Munich in this enclosure of some 70,000 seats, on the occasion of the coming from Paris SG.

"We are very pleased with this important step in the rich history of more than 50 years of our women's section", rejoiced the president Oliver Kahn, welcoming that the team led by Jens Scheuer obtains "the stage that she deserves".

The Bavarian club, with tickets at 15 euros for the general public and reduced prices ranging from five (children) to ten euros (students and pensioners), hopes to beat its previous attendance record set in March 2017 in the quarterfinals against PSG , already, with 7,300 spectators registered at the Grünwalder Stadion.

The Allianz Arena in Munich, September 5, 2021 Tobias Schwarz AFP / Archives

On the return, on March 30, the Parisiennes will host the Germans at the Parc des Princes, which is not unusual for the reigning French champions.

More than 17,700 places have already been sold, according to a last count on Monday from PSG, which hopes to beat its record dating from April 2017 in the semi-final return against Barça (19,192 people).

"We are happy to play in big stadiums, whether it's the Allianz Arena or the Parc des Princes on the return. We see that the clubs are betting on women's football," Parisian defender Sakina Karchaoui appreciated on Monday.

The presence of the public "boosts us in our performances", she said.

Real, the intruder

Their rivals from Olympique Lyonnais, in the same way, have been at home at Groupama Stadium for several years, whether for major domestic or continental meetings.

The Décines stadium, with around 59,000 seats, will therefore logically host the return leg between OL and Juventus Turin, Thursday March 31.

His Italian opponent has taken up residence at Juventus Stadium since last season, after playing his first European games in the small Giuseppe-Moccagatta stadium.

The poster against OL will be played there, as will the final of the event set for May 21.

For their double confrontation, the English of Arsenal and the Germans of Wolfsburg abandoned their confidential Meadow Park and AOK Stadion.

Place at the Emirates, on March 23, and at the Volkswagen Arena, on the return on March 31.

The 100% Spanish poster between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, finally, offers a striking contrast.

On the way out, this Tuesday, the first European "clasico" for women will be played in the small Alfredo Di-Stefano stadium, with a capacity of 6,000 seats, located in the Real training center in the suburbs of La Spanish capital.

Conversely, the reigning European champions Barça will host the return leg on March 30 in the huge Camp Nou, a 99,000-seat temple where a record attendance for a professional women's team match should be set.

The Catalan club, which usually plays in the Johan-Cruyff stadium (6,000 seats), has offered free places to its "socios" (supporters-shareholders) and hopes for a sold-out meeting.

The best attendance for a women's club match was achieved in March 2019 with 60,739 spectators in Madrid for Barça's league victory over Atlético.

This is the second time that the Barcelona will play an official match at Camp Nou, after a first performance in January 2020: they crushed their neighbors Espanyol Barcelona 5-0, but behind closed doors.

© 2022 AFP