Juventus Femminile hosts Wolfsburg Women at the Allianz Stadium on Monday evening in the Women’s Champions League knockout phase playoff second leg. The tie is finely poised at 2-2 after a dramatic first leg in Germany, with the winners progressing to face Lyon in the quarter finals.

Massimiliano Canzi’s side were cruising towards a stunning upset victory in Wolfsburg before it all fell apart in the final 10 minutes. Juventus led 2-0 thanks to goals from Ana Capeta and Amalie Vangsgaard but conceded a late penalty before Sarai Linder fired home a spectacular equalizer deep into stoppage time. The Italian champions will be absolutely gutted to have thrown away such a commanding advantage.

Kick-off: 18:45 CET, February 19, 2026
Venue: Allianz Stadium, Turin
TV: DAZN

Juve Must Overcome Heartbreaking Collapse

This is a massive opportunity for Juventus to reach the Champions League quarter finals for the first time in years. They were so close to taking a two goal cushion back to Turin, but now face a nail biting second leg with everything to play for. Canzi’s counterattacking game plan worked brilliantly for 80 minutes in Germany, and they will likely adopt similar tactics at home.

The big concern is midfielder Lia Wälti, who was forced off with an injury in the first leg. Her status remains uncertain, and losing her would be a huge blow given how crucial she has been in European matches this season. Paulina Krumbiegel is pushing for a start after impressing off the bench.

Wolfsburg Riding Wave of Momentum

Stephan Lerch’s side snatched victory from the jaws of defeat thanks to Linder’s heroics. The dramatic comeback has given Wolfsburg huge momentum heading into this second leg, though they know they were extremely fortunate to escape Germany with a draw after such a poor performance for most of the match.

Lineth Beerensteyn admitted afterwards that Wolfsburg did not create many big chances and were frankly lucky to get the result. They will need to be significantly better in Turin if they want to progress.

Predicted Lineups

Juventus (4-2-3-1): Peyraud-Magnin; Calligaris, Harviken, Kullberg, Carbonell; Caruso, Schatzer; Bonansea, Krumbiegel, Pinto; Vangsgaard

Wolfsburg (4-2-3-1): Schult; Linder, Kleinherne, Wedemeyer, Pujols; Minge, Peddemors; Huth, Popp, Bussy; Beerensteyn

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Wolfsburg face defending Serie A champions Juventus in the playoff stage of the Women’s Champions League on Thursday evening. The first leg will be played at the AOK Stadion before the return fixture in Turin next midweek, with the winners progressing to the quarter finals.

The Frauen Bundesliga side has only played one competitive match in 2026, with weather conditions leading to postponements of two encounters, including last weekend’s matchday 17 fixture away at Werder Bremen. Stephan Lerch’s side is currently second in the league standings with 12 wins from their 15 games.

Kick-off: 17:45 UTC, February 12, 2026
Venue: AOK Stadion, Wolfsburg
TV: DAZN

Beerensteyn Returns to Face Former Club

Lineth Beerensteyn, who is the top scorer for She Wolves this season with 13 goals in all competitions, will play against the club she spent two seasons with after leaving Bayern in 2022. This adds genuine spice to the encounter, with the Dutch international eager to prove a point against her former employers.

In Europe, Wolfsburg started their campaign with a couple of wins, but losing the final league phase games to Real Madrid and Chelsea led them to enter the playoff round instead of automatic qualification to the quarter finals. This is frankly disappointing for a club of Wolfsburg’s stature.

Juventus Riding High After Five Straight Wins

Since losing 2-1 to Inter, Massimiliano Canzi’s team won each of their last five games in all competitions. Paulina Krumbiegel will return to her home country after the German international finally scored her first Serie A goal of the season in Saturday’s 2-0 win in Como.

Defender Camilla Kuver will be unavailable after a minor knee injury against Koln.

Predicted Lineups

Wolfsburg (4-2-3-1): Johannes; Linder, Kleinherne, Wedemeyer, Pujols; Minge, Peddemors; Huth, Popp, Bussy; Beerensteyn

Juventus (4-3-3): de Jong; Calligaris, Harviken, Kullberg, Carbonell; Walti, Schatzer; Bonansea; Pinto, Beccari, Girelli

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Brighton have rejected three bids from Juventus for Fran Kirby as the Serie A club intensifies their pursuit of the former England international.

Despite the player’s reported openness to a switch to Italy, the WSL outfit remain unwilling to negotiate, viewing the 32 year old as irreplaceable in their attacking ranks.

Italian reporter Mauro Munno claimed that Kirby has given the green light for a move to Juventus, but Brighton are determined to keep their star asset. The club considers Kirby non transferable at this stage of the season, with transfer negotiations showing no signs of progressing.

Why Juventus Came Calling

Juventus are desperate to address their goalscoring problems in Italy. The Bianconeri sit second in the Women’s Serie A behind Roma but have only scored 10 goals in nine games, a record worse than six other clubs in the eleven team league. This defensive vulnerability has left them five points adrift of leaders Roma, despite maintaining the league’s best defensive record.

Kirby presents an experienced solution to their attacking woes. Since joining Brighton in summer 2024, she has scored 11 goals and provided three assists in 30 appearances. While her output is lower than her Chelsea days, when she netted 105 goals in 192 matches, her presence would still significantly boost Juventus’s second half campaign and their upcoming Champions League playoff against Wolfsburg.

Brighton’s Stance Remains Resolute

Brighton cannot afford to lose Kirby given their current injury concerns. Michelle Agyemang’s season ending ACL injury has depleted their attacking options, and losing another key player would seriously damage their hopes of maintaining last season’s top half finish. Manager Dario Vidosic has made clear his desire to keep the experienced attacker at the Amex.

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