Women’s Champions League final: Wolfsburg captain Alexandra Popp lays out plan to beat Barcelona

Wolfsburg captain Alexandra Popp says they have to stop Barcelona’s “tiki-taka football” and “their enjoyment of the game” if they want to topple them in tomorrow’s Champions League final.

Barca are favourites going into the match in Eindhoven and it is their fourth Champions League final in the past five years.

The Spanish side were beaten by Lyon in the final last season, but they defeated Wolfsburg 5-3 on aggregate in the semi-finals.

Popp insists she and her team-mates have learned from that and are determined to win the Champions League for the first time since 2014.

“The best way [to beat Barcelona] is to not let them play,” said Popp. “If they have the ball and start playing their tiki-taka football, and you’re too late going in for a challenge, then it’s really tough to get the ball.

“We have to try and take away their enjoyment of the game, probably with high pressing as well. I don’t want to give too much away. [We want to] put them under pressure really early so they can’t play their game.”

Barcelona beat Chelsea in the semi-finals to reach this year’s final, while Wolfsburg defeated Arsenal.

Barca have been given a boost ahead of tomorrow’s game by the news that England right-back Lucy Bronze is expected to be fit to start.

Bronze, who was named in England’s World Cup squad on Wednesday, has been out with a knee injury since the end of April.