On Thursday, March 30, Chelsea and Lyon meet in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League Women’s quarterfinal matchup. Due to their narrow 1-0 away victory in the first leg last week in France, the Blues have an advantage in the tie. Guro Reiten scored the champ with a twisting strike in the 28th moment.
They couldn’t duplicate their mainland triumph on the homegrown scene, as they tumbled to a 2-0 loss at Manchester City in a top-of-the-table conflict in the Ladies’ Super Association. Lauren Hemp scored and assisted in the first half to help her team beat the Blues for the first time in league since 2017 and move ahead of them in the standings.
In contrast, Lyon beat Guingamp 6-0 at home in the French league to bounce back from their Champions League defeat. Les Fenottes won thanks to a pair of goals from Signe Bruun in the first half, and Danielle van de Donk scored the winning goal in the 81st minute.
They will now focus on the match at Stamford Bridge, where Chelsea stands in their way of a record-extending 12th Women’s Champions League semifinal. In the round of 16, the winner of this tie will play either AS Roma or Barcelona.
Head-to-Head
- The two sides will meet for the fifth time.
- In their 25 WSL games, Chelsea failed to score against Manchester City for the first time.
- In competition, Lyon has scored at least twice in ten of their last eleven victories. The first leg of this run, last week, was their only loss.
- Chelsea has won 19 consecutive home games.
- In three of their four encounters with Lyon, both teams scored goals.
Prediction
This has lived up to expectations, as it was theoretically the closest quarterfinal tie. Lyon need to work hard if they want to keep their continental crown, which would be a mind-boggling ninth time around.
After being stung by Chelsea in front of their fans, the French champions must now overcome a one-goal deficit away from home. Because of their impeccable pedigree, Lyon’s chances of making a comeback cannot be discounted. They are no strangers to situations like these.
However, Chelsea has performed admirably in every encounter with Lyon, and their 19-game winning streak at home indicates that they will be up to the challenge. There’s little to browse between the different sides, so the crown jewels to be partaken in a low-scoring draw, which would wipe out Lyon.
Prediction: Lyon vs. Chelsea: 1-1
Team news
Pernille Harder, Katerina Svitkova, and Fran Kirby—the injured trio—cannot be used by Chelsea at this time. Erin Cuthbert is a big question for Thursday’s second leg because she was substituted out in the second half against Man City.
After Millie Bright missed Sunday’s defeat due to an injury she sustained against Lyon last week, the Blues are hopeful that she will be able to return to the backline. In the meantime, Lyon will travel to London without Griedge Mbock, Amandine Henry, or Catarina Macario because of injuries.
Hegerberg made her long-awaited return from injury at the weekend, scoring within a minute of her debut. However, due to her lack of match fitness, she will have to settle for a bench spot once more.
Selma Bacha could start after missing out on a starting spot for the first leg. However, she played the entire game against Guingamp on Saturday and had two assists.
Lineup
Chelsea Women:
- Berger
- Perisset, Buchanan, Bright, Carter
- Leupolz, Ingle
- James, Fleming, Reiten
- Kerr
Lyon:
- Endler
- Carpenter, Gilles, Renard, Bacha
- Horan, Egurrola, Marozsan
- Cascarino, Dabritz, Le Sommer
Betting Tips
Result: Draw both sides to score less than 2.5 goals.