Manchester United Women will continue their bid to reach the Women's Champions League main draw when they travel to Norway for Thursday's first leg aganst Brann Women in the third round of qualifying.
The Red Devils have beaten PSV Eindhoven and Hammarby to reach this stage, while Brann got the better of Inter Milan and Braga.
Match preview
Brann are competing in Women's Champions League qualifying after finishing in second place in the Toppserien last season.
They recorded 19 wins, one draw and seven defeats to end the campaign 12 points clear of third-placed Rosenborg and 15 points adrift of winners Valerenga.
Brann started their European campaign in the second round of qualifying, which was played in a mini-tournament with Inter, Braga and Valur.
They came from behind to beat the Italian side 2-1, before going on to edge out Braga via a 1-0 scoreline to set up a tricky two-legged tie against Man United.
Brann will enter Thursday's fixture in a positive mood after claiming a 3-0 victory in Saturday's league clash against Roa, moving them four points clear of Valerenga at the top of the Toppserien table.
The Norwegian side have now won each of their last 10 competitive matches since losing to Lyn in June, and with their domestic campaign in its final few months, they may have greater match sharpness than their opponents.
Brann Women's Lauren Davidson on August 27, 2025
Man United are competing in the UWCL for just the second time after previously featuring in the qualifying stage in the 2023-24 campaign.
On that occasion, the Red Devils were eliminated in the second qualifying round following a 4-2 aggregate defeat to French giants Paris Saint-Germain.
After failing to qualify for last season's competition, Man United are back in the preliminary rounds courtesy of their third-place finish in the 2024-25 Women's Super League.
Marc Skinner's side kicked off their latest European expedition with a dominant 4-0 win over PSV, before Elisabeth Terland scored the decisive goal in their meeting with Hammarby.
Terland got on the scoresheet against in Sunday's WSL opener against Leicester City, which also saw Melvine Malard net twice and Ella Toone score the opener in the commanding home win.
Having kept three consecutive clean sheets, Man United will hope a strong defence can provide the foundation for them to reach the UWCL main draw for the very first time.
Brann Women Women's Champions League form:
Brann Women form (all competitions):
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Manchester United Champions League form:
Manchester United Women form (all competitions):
Team News
Manchester United Women's Jayde Riviere, Anna Sandberg and Ella Toone on August 30, 2025
Brann are unable to call upon midfielder Tomine Svendheim and forward Anna Aahjem due to injury.
After making several changes at the weekend, Leif Gunnar Smerud could recall Ingrid Stenevik, Joanna Tynnila, Karoline Haugland, Lauren Davidson and Dilja Zomers.
Former Manchester United defender Maria Thorisdottir should be part of the matchday squad after joining the club on Monday.
As for the Red Devils, they are unable to call upon Simi Awujo and Leah Galton for the midweek trip to Norway.
Fridolina Rolfo, Gabby George and Rachel Williams are closing in on a return to action, but it remains to be seen whether the trio will be ready for the first leg.
Brann Women's possible starting lineup:
Panengstuen; Stenevik, Authen, Tynnila, Lehtola; Gaupset, Peuhkurinen, Haugland, Eikeland; Davidson, Zomers
Manchester United Femenino possible starting lineup:
Frohms; Garcia, Lakrar, Mendez, Holmgaard; Weir, Toletti, Dabritz; Navarro, Del Castillo, Caicedo
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We say: Brann Women 0-2 Manchester United
Brann proved with their wins over Inter and Braga that this tie will be no walkover for Man United, but while the hosts will be a tough opponent, we believe the visitors' strong defence will play a crucial role in picking up a first-leg victory on Thursday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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