On October 5, a historic edition of the Champions League starts.
For the first time on the women's side, group games will be played - previously there have been knockout matches from the start - and among the 16 teams there is one from Sweden: BK Häcken.
But that the Gothenburg team would go further than that would be a bang.
Only the two best teams advance to the quarterfinals and in Häcken's group are both the tournament's most champions Lyon, France, and last year's Bundesliga winner, star-studded Bayern Munich.
- A tough draw, but fantastically fun.
There are some really good teams in the group so it will be fun to compete with them, says goalkeeper Jennifer Falk after Monday's national team training, the first in Bratislava before Friday's World Cup qualifier away against Slovakia.
- We are a good team, we just have to get it right.
If they underestimate us and we make good matches and have some flow then ...
"We are favorites"
A few meters away at the extremely weather-beaten Pasienky Stadium, the former home arena for Slovan Bratislava, stands Bayern Munich's Hanna Glas.
When she is asked who are the favorites for the group victory, there is no doubt, despite Lyon's five Champions League titles in the last six years.
- We are favorites as it looks now in terms of achievements.
But at the same time we know what capacity Lyon has, it is a good team.
And even the Hedge can be good.
But I would still say that we are favorites, says Glas.
She is happy to face Häcken, and not just because it means matches against several national team mates.
For Swedish football, it is important to have a team in the biggest club team tournament in Europe, she says.
- It means a lot, it is important above all for Swedish football players to see that you can play the Champions League in Sweden, says Hanna Glas.
It really is not an obvious thing anymore.
The time when teams like Umeå, Djurgården / Älvsjö and Tyresö fought for European titles is long gone, and in Sweden you have to put in the effort if the big-betting foreign clubs are not to run away further, Glas believes.
Otherwise it can be like on the men's side, where Swedish teams very rarely reach the Champions League nowadays.
- It can be so.
We now saw, for example, that it was tough matches for Rosengård (knocked out by Hoffenheim in the last qualifying round).
Therefore, it was extra important that Häcken got there.
But we have two really good teams in Häcken and Rosengård so I hope we can continue to be involved in the future as well, it is extremely important for Swedish football.
Invest in the right things
But if it is to happen, more must be invested in Sweden, says Hanna Glas.
- Yes I think so.
It has been a bit lacking.
We have seen initiatives with Häcken and you can see how Rosengård tries, but I might want to see it from more clubs.
Sweden's national team captain Peter Gerhardsson agrees, both in terms of the importance of being able to play in the Champions League as well as what is needed for it to happen.
- When you move on to this concept (with group play), there will be more money and more focus, so it is very important that we are involved.
For the national team, it is important that the players get very good matches but also that they somehow show that Swedish clubs can get there, says Gerhardsson.
A key, he says, is that the money that Swedish clubs receive from player sales is managed wisely.
- Maybe you should not spend all the money on new players, but also on the way to train, training times, food, all that, all these facilities that you talk about when you talk about foreign clubs, that it improves in Swedish football is also important . And that Swedish players in Sweden can also become full-time professionals.