Chelsea Women vs Lyon Women. Prediction and Preview. Probable Lineups, Team News, Stats and more
Chelsea FCW will host Olympique Lyonnais FC in the UEFA Women’s Champions League 1/4 finals second leg match at Stamford Bridge Stadium. The fixture will take place on Friday, March 31, beginning at 00:30 IST.
What can we expect this Friday night? Parimatch News will tell you everything you need to know ahead of the upcoming match.
Chelsea Women News & Current Form:
In the first leg on French soil, Chelsea wasn’t expected to win, but they proved everyone wrong. They came out strong with an early attack that led to an incredible goal from Guro Reiten in the 28th minute. From there, they switched to a solid defensive strategy, holding on to their lead and winning the match with a 1 – 0 score. This victory made their path to the semi-finals much smoother and gave fans something to celebrate.
Since the start of 2023, Chelsea have been on a roll. They’ve won an impressive 9 out of their 12 matches and remain unbeaten in the Champions League. And that win over Lyon in the first leg? It was their 6th consecutive victory, adding to their already impressive performance in a tough group that included Real Madrid CF and PSG Féminines, Lyon’s main rivals.
Chelsea have only faced the French side three times in competitive matches, with two of those being the legs of our Champions League semi-final in 2018/19. In the first leg, which was also away, Erin Cuthbert scored, but it was followed by a 2 – 1 defeat. Lyon extended their lead at Kingsmeadow Stadium via a deflected effort, though, and despite Ji So-Yun scoring a superb free-kick and Karen Carney striking the post late on, the Blues couldn’t quite do enough to force extra time.
The return leg at Stamford Bridge Stadium is set to host a record crowd in the Women’s Champions League. More than 13,000 tickets have been sold for the game, surpassing Chelsea Women’s previous record for a Champions League home match. This record was set at our 3 – 0 victory over another French side, Paris Saint-Germain, in the group stage earlier this season. That match was also played on the same field.
Chelsea FC Women squad before a clash with Man City Women
In a high-energy match, Chelsea fell short to title rivals Man City Women in a disappointing 2 – 0 defeat during Sunday’s Barclay’s Women’s Super League match. The Blues team gave it their all, but it just wasn’t enough to stop Lauren Hemp from scoring and providing an assist in the first half, securing Manchester City’s first league win over the Blues since 2017 and jumping them up in the standings.
Despite the loss, Chelsea remains a formidable force in the WSL table, currently sitting in third place, and with a game in hand over Manchester United Women and Manchester City who are only one point ahead.
The Blues are shifting their focus to their European campaign with confidence, given their successful track record of progressing from all three of their previous Champions League quarter-final ties. With their first-leg lead, they’re sure to put up a fierce defense.
Unfortunately, Chelsea’s injured trio of Pernille Harder, Katerina Svitkova, and Fran Kirby remain unavailable to play. Adding to the team’s concern, Erin Cuthbert was forced off during the second half against Manchester City, and her status remains uncertain for Thursday’s crucial second leg. Despite these setbacks, Chelsea is determined to fight and triumph in the upcoming match.
Chelsea defender Millie Bright was noticeably absent from the club’s open training session in preparation for their highly-anticipated Champions League quarter-final second-leg with Lyon. Unfortunately, the talented England defender has been out with a nagging knee problem after being forced to leave the first leg due to injury.
Despite this setback, Chelsea manager Emma Hayes remains optimistic about her player:
“We trained without Millie today, she was the only player we didn’t train without. Everyone else trained. We’ve got time until tomorrow. We’re maximizing as much time as we can. But she wasn’t in training for today.”
Lyon Women News & Current Form:
Experience the thrill of high-stakes football as Lyon seeks to overturn a one-goal deficit away from home against Chelsea, who stunned the reigning French champions in front of their fans. But don’t count Lyon out just yet – they are well-versed in such scenarios, and with their impressive track record, they could very well stage a comeback.
Lyon has already tasted victory in the English capital this season with a 1 – 0 win over Arsenal WFC in the group stage, showcasing their prowess on foreign soil. A repeat of that scoreline would send the last-eight tie into extra time, setting the stage for an epic battle between two top-tier teams. Will Lyon be able to pull off a comeback, or will Chelsea continue their impressive run?
Get ready to witness a battle of champions as Lyon, the record eight-time winners of the Champions League, fight to remain in the hunt for a historic ninth European title. But to do so, they’ll need to mount an impressive fightback on Friday.
After their disappointing Champions League outing, Lyon bounced back in style with an emphatic 6 – 0 home win over En Avant Guingamp Féminines in the French Division 1. Les Fenottes were led to victory by Signe Bruun, who scored an impressive first-half brace, and Danielle van de Donk, who wrapped up the scoring in the 81st minute.
As Lyon look to continue their quest for an unprecedented 12th semifinal appearance in the Women’s Champions League, their next obstacle comes in the form of Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. The victor of this highly anticipated clash will earn the right to face either FC Barcelona Femeni or AS Roma Women in the semifinals, adding further incentive for both sides to give it their all.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing for Lyon on their road to the quarterfinals, as injury troubles disrupted their early European campaign, leaving them with just one point from their first two games against Arsenal and Juventus FC Women. However, they bounced back strongly, securing second place in the group and showing the world why they are one of the most formidable teams in the tournament.
Olympique Lyonnais FC squad before 1/4 finals UEFA Women’s Champions League match with Chelsea FC Women
As Lyon gear up for their second leg against Chelsea, they will have to do so without some key players due to injury concerns. Both Griedge Mbock and Amandine Henry, along with Catarina Macario, are set to miss the game. Meanwhile, star player Ada Hegerberg made a triumphant return to the pitch last weekend, scoring a goal after a lengthy injury layoff. However, due to her lack of match fitness, she is likely to begin the match on the bench.
Coach Sonia Bompastor about the importance of Ada’s return:
“We know the importance of Ada in a group, she is a leader, a striker. When she is there she brings a lot of confidence to the team. She is delighted to have been able to score on her return, it gives her a lot of confidence.”
Despite their injury woes, Lyon’s domestic form remains impressive, with just one league loss this season. They climbed to the top of the French table with five games left after securing a win last weekend. In their last six matches, Lyon scored an impressive 21 goals and conceded just one. Selma Bacha, who played the full match in their last game and provided two assists, could be in line for a starting spot after being left on the bench for the first leg.
Chelsea Women form guide: L-W-W-W-W-L
Lyon Women form guide: W-W-W-W-L-W
Chelsea Women vs Lyon Women Head-To-Head Record:
| Chelsea Women | Draw | Lyon Women |
| 1 | 2 | 1 |
- April 21, 2019: Lyon 2 – 1 Chelsea (UEFA Women’s Champions League);
- April 28, 2019: Chelsea 1 – 1 Lyon (UEFA Women’s Champions League);
- August 18, 2022: Lyon 2 – 2 Chelsea (Club Friendlies);
- March 22, 2023: Lyon 0 – 1 Chelsea (UEFA Women’s Champions League).
Chelsea Women vs Lyon Women Predicted XI:
Chelsea Women possible starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Berger; Perisset, Buchanan, Bright, Carter; Leupolz, Ingle; James, Fleming, Reiten; Kerr.
Lyon Women possible starting lineup (4-3-3): Endler; Carpenter, Gilles, Renard, Bacha; Horan, Egurrola, Marozsan; Cascarino, Dabritz, Le Sommer.
Statistical preview of the match Chelsea Women vs Lyon Women:
- Chelsea’s First XI average age is 28.5 yrs.
- Lyon’s First XI average age is 28.3 yrs.
- Lyon have won ten of their last 11 matches in all competitions, scoring at least twice in each of them.
- Chelsea have 19 victories on home soil.
- Lyon have not drawn in their previous 11 matches.
- Chelsea have a winning streak of 4 matches.
- Olympique Lyon have not lost any of their last 17 away matches.
- In the UEFA Women’s Champions League, Chelsea tend to get further than Olympique Lyon.
- The average number of goals in meetings between Chelsea and Olympique Lyon is 2.5.
- Chelsea’s top scorers are: Samantha Kerr (7), Fran Kirby (6), Lauren James (4).
- Lyon’s top scorers are: Wendie Renard (6), Eugenie Le Sommer (5), Signe Bruun (5).
What has been said before the match:
The Blues’ coach Emma Hayes ahead of the important fixture on Friday:
“We know what to expect, they’re the champions of Europe over a long period of time for a very good reason. It’s not like we’re playing a team that’s not used to being in that position. We know the threats, but we’ve worked hard over a long period of time to be ready for them.”
“We want these situations, we want to be in this game tomorrow and we want to be in a position where we can impose ourselves and our game in our stadium the way that we want to.”
“That’s the aim. That’s what we live for in our environment. We want to be in the positions where we’re competing. The flip side is that I don’t want to be sitting at home watching these games from outside of it or sitting in a position where we can’t compete to win the league or the FA Cup. We are exactly where we want to be.”
“I want to be in the biggest game so there’s no doubt that’s a motivation for me, but my motivation isn’t led by one single thing. To be the very best at something, you can’t just talk about it, you have to do it every day, on the training pitch, in every game, and my challenge to the team tomorrow is to demonstrate everything that you have worked so hard on to put this club in this position.”
Lyon’s coach Sonia Bompastor about the readiness of her team and female football in France:
“Having a group of 23 players, I have a lot of possibilities on the system of play. You will have the answer tomorrow night. When you get to this stage of the competition, you prepare for the match by taking into account the opponent. But I know that I have a lot of qualities in my team. We have the qualities to win this game.”
“With Lyon we are used to difficult situations. For years, OL has been performing at the highest level. We have the best record in women’s football. Last year when we reached the Champions League final, we said that Barcelona were favorites but we managed to turn the tables. We are still focused because we know that there is a chance to qualify.”
“Since the 2019 World Cup in France, I think we haven’t taken the right turn in France. England has been able to surf on its Euro. But there has been an awareness in France, things are moving. There is all the potential in France to move in the right direction to catch up. England was inspired by what was being done in France.”
Chelsea Women vs Lyon Women Prediction:
On paper, Chelsea (W) were by no means favourites before the first leg of the quarter-final. However, thanks to an enthusiastic starting push, the English team were able to surprise the French team by hammering a goal against them. The visitors were then able to play to their strengths and grab victory, which made their task of reaching the semi-finals a whole lot easier.
However, whether they will be able to do so remains to be seen, as a tough side is going to Stamford Bridge, and they will be furious with the way things have gone since the last encounter.
Lyon (W) definitely ought to have won or at least drawn the opening game of the quarterfinals. However, the Frenchwomen failed to reverse the course of the encounter and are now in the role of underdogs. Without any doubt, Lyon (W) will be trying to unleash their attacking potential from the opening minutes – the visitors certainly have quality (one of the most scoring women’s teams in the world this season — 2.9 goals per match in the French championship). What’s more, their balance between the lines is also excellent – Les Gones are great defensively (an average of 0.5 goals conceded per game). As for the WUCL, Chelsea (W) are averaging 3 goals per game, while Lyon are averaging 2.43 goals per game. Considering all the facts and statistical trends above – at the very least, we expect the visitors to be able to not lose in London, with the match total being less than 3.5.
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Parimatch News staff prediction:
We say: Lyon (W) will not lose, and the match total will be less than 3.5 – Yes.