UWCL OH Leuven vow to give everything against Roma

UWCL OH Leuven open the UEFA Women’s Champions League league phase for a second successive season at home to Italian champions Roma on Wednesday, with captain Julie Biesmans insisting the young, much‑changed squad will take the competition game by game and feel no pressure.

Leuven’s historic league qualification

The Belgian side are no longer European newcomers, having become the first Belgian side to reach the UWCL league phase last season. Their qualification this summer came after navigating three qualifying rounds.

Leuven’s path to the group stage included a 4‑0 win over TSC Bačka Topola, a penalty shoot‑out victory against Fenerbahçe, and a 6‑2 aggregate triumph over Polish champions Czarni Sosnowiec.

Squad turnover and youth focus

Four established first‑team players – centre‑backs Linde Veefkind and Zenia Mertens, midfielder Sára Pusztai and forward Aurélie Reynders – departed over the summer. Biesmans treated the turnover as the price of success rather than a setback.

She highlighted the club’s academy, now filling the gaps with a group averaging around 20 years old. “One of the strong points of Leuven has always been that there is a lot of good youth,” Biesmans said.

Roma’s test and broader impact

Roma return under new head coach Gianpiero Piovani, arriving days after losing the Serie A Women’s Cup final to Juventus on penalties. Biesmans warned that Roma remain a very strong opponent despite their own changes.

“We’ll give everything to make it as difficult as possible for them,” she added, noting that scoring goals gives confidence but each match is a new level. She also stressed the wider significance for Belgian football, saying little girls now dream of playing in the Champions League and hoping more Belgian sides follow into Europe.