The first legs of the UEFA Women’s Champions League quarter-finals continue on Wednesday, with Olympique Lyonnais Feminin hosting Chelsea FC Women at Groupama Stadium.
Lyon are the defending champions, having defeated Barcelona in last season’s final, while Chelsea finished as runners-up in 2020-21 after falling to Barca in the showpiece.
Lyon 🪄 pic.twitter.com/bcnzAFdULt— OL Féminin (@OLfeminin) March 19, 2023
Lyon 🪄 pic.twitter.com/bcnzAFdULt
The French powerhouse are hoping to clinch a record ninth UWCL title this term, while the English side are looking to taste European glory for the very first time.
By their own high standards, Lyon endured something of a shaky group-stage campaign, recording three wins, two draws and one loss to finish second in Group C.
However, their domestic campaign is well and truly on track, as they find themselves at the summit of the Division 1 Feminine table after losing just one of their 16 matches.
Not only are Lyon the top scorers in the French top flight (43), but they also boast the best defensive record (8), underlining their prowess.
Lyon won five consecutive Champions League titles between 2015-16 and 2019-20 before collecting an eighth crown in 12 seasons last term. Can they go all the way once again?
Meanwhile, Chelsea enjoyed an unbeaten group-stage campaign, picking up five wins and one draw to finish six points clear of Paris Saint-Germain in Group A.
In addition to scoring 19 goals during the group stage (3.2 goals per game), Emma Hayes’ side conceded just once, keeping five clean sheets along the way.
Last time out, Chelsea claimed a 3-1 win over Reading in the Women’s Super League, collecting an eighth victory in nine games across all competitions.
The Londoners find themselves atop the English top flight after suffering a solitary defeat in 14 league outings, and they also boast the best offensive record in the division.
Head-to-head: Olympique Lyonnais Feminin remain unbeaten against Chelsea FC Women, with the two sides meeting three times over the years.
Lyon and Chelsea met in the Champions League back in 2019, with the French side claiming a 2-1 victory before holding Hayes’ side to a 1-1 draw in London.
Team news: Having chalked up four goals and four assists in the Champions League this season, Melvine Malard is Lyon’s danger women in attack.
Sam Kerr, Pernille Harder and Lauren James are the ones to watch for Chelsea. Kerr has netted five UWCL goals this term, and seven in her past five club appearances across all competitions.
Given that Lyon have struggled for consistency in the Champions League this season, Chelsea will be hopeful of notching a first-leg advantage on Wednesday.
With that in mind, Forebet predicts that Chelsea will score over 2.5 goals on their way to claiming an important victory in France.