The opening leg of Chelsea Women’s Champions League quarter-final matchup versus defending champions Lyon Women will occur in France on Wednesday.
Team Form
Lyon Women
Lyon’s dominance in the Women’s Champions League is undeniable. The French club claimed their eighth European title last season, defeating Barcelona 3-1 in the final.
However, their bid to retain the crown got off to a disastrous start as they suffered a heavy 5-1 defeat to Arsenal in their opening group game.
Despite the setback, Lyon showed their class and resilience by winning their next five matches to finish second in the group and secure a quarter-final tie with Group A winners Chelsea.
As they prepare for the tie’s first leg, Lyon will be buoyed by their impressive home form, having won all four of their competitive matches at home this year without conceding.
Lyon Women Form (All Competition): W W W W WĀ
Chelsea Women
Despite being a relatively new contender in the Women’s Champions League, Chelsea has made significant progress in recent seasons. The closest they have come to winning the competition was in the 2020-21 season, where they reached the final but suffered a heavy 4-0 defeat to Barcelona.
This season, the Blues have been in excellent form, ensuring they made no slip-ups in the group stage after being eliminated at the same stage last season. They won five of their six group games and drew the other, securing their place in the quarter-finals.
Although Chelsea began the month with a disappointing League Cup final defeat to Arsenal, they bounced back strongly, recording three consecutive victories, including a 3-1 win over Reading last weekend, which secured their place in the semi-finals of the FA Cup.
Chelsea Women Form (All Competition): W L W W W
Squad Report
Lyon Women
The hosts will need the services of Griedge Mbock, Catarina Macario, and Amandine Henry, who are all nursing injuries and will be available for selection.
However, Lyon could be boosted if Ada Hegerberg is declared fit for the game. The Norway international has been out of action for a long time due to an injury but is nearing a return to full fitness.
Chelsea Women
Chelsea will face Lyon in the quarter-finals without some key players recovering from injuries. Fran Kirby, Pernille Harder, and Katerina Svitkova are all expected to miss the game due to their ongoing injury issues.
In addition to these absentees, Erin Cuthbert’s availability is uncertain for the midweek fixture. The Scottish international has missed Chelsea’s last three games due to injury, and her potential return to the squad will be assessed before the game.
Lyon Women’s predicted starting lineup:
Endler; Carpenter, Gilles, Renard, Bacha; Horan, Egurrola, Dabritz, Marozsan; Casarino, Le Sommer
Chelsea Women’s predicted starting lineup:
Berger; Perisset, Buchanan, Bright, Charles; Leupolz, Ingle; James, Fleming, Reiten; Kerr
Head to Head
Lyon Women and Chelsea Women have faced each other thrice, with Lyon winning one of those games and the different ending in draws.
Time, Date & Venue
Date: Wednesday, March 22
Time: 05:45 pm, UTC
Venue: Stade Municipal de Gerland, Lyon
Prediction
Lyon had a tough start in the group stage when they were beaten 1-5 by Arsenal at their home. However, they are a strong team with an impressive record in European competitions, having won the title eight times.
