PARIS, April 27, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Chelsea head into the second leg of
their women’s Champions League semi-final against Lyon on Sunday still in
with a chance of ending the French club’s dominance in the competition after
a narrow 2-1 defeat in the first leg last week.
AFP Sport runs the rule over the situation in both semi-finals, with
Barcelona the favourites to get past Bayern Munich in the other tie and
secure their place in the final in Budapest on May 18.
Chelsea v Lyon
Sunday (1300 GMT)
Holders Lyon are looking to win the trophy for the fourth season in a row
and the French powerhouses have the edge in the tie after a 2-1 victory in
the first leg last week.
French international duo Delphine Cascarino and Amandine Henry scored for
them but a fine strike by Scotland’s Erin Cuthbert kept Chelsea in the tie
after Fran Kirby had earlier missed a penalty.
Emma Hayes’s side are now hoping to overturn the deficit as they welcome
Lyon to Kingston upon Thames, where they beat Paris Saint-Germain in the last
round.
“We know Lyon will come at us with everything they’ve got. They’ve got star
quality, they’ve got lots of money and they’ve got lots of titles,” Hayes
told the BBC.
“They will throw absolutely everything at this team so we have to show we
can cope, we’re resilient, and we can fight back.”
Lyon warmed up for the trip to England by securing their 13th consecutive
French crown on Wednesday by beating Dijon 4-0, despite making six changes to
their starting line-up.
“It was good for us psychologically to go and win the title at Dijon before
playing Chelsea, and that the game didn’t handicap us,” said Lyon coach
Reynald Pedros.
“We are confident but we have a lot to do if we are to qualify. We can’t
allow ourselves to relax when we are just one game away from a European
final.”
England right-back Lucy Bronze and Wales star Jess Fishlock could again
both play for Lyon, but one major source of concern for them is that Henry is
a doubt with a foot knock. Pedros said he was “very optimistic”, however.
Barcelona v Bayern
Sunday (1000 GMT)
Barcelona appear poised to reach their first final as they take a 1-0 lead
into the second leg of their tie against Bayern after Kheira Hamraoui’s
solitary strike in Germany last time out.
French midfielder Hamraoui is a former Paris Saint-Germain and Lyon player
so could be in line for a showdown against one of her former sides in the
final in Hungary next month.
But first Barca will aim to finish the job as they welcome Bayern to the
Miniestadi, across the road from the Camp Nou, with the Catalans saying there
will be a sell-out crowd of over 13,000 for the game.
“Playing with the stadium full will be really lovely and is really
important, it’s great news for women’s football,” said Barcelona coach Lluis
Cortes, whose team prepared for this game by thumping Sevilla 6-2 in midweek
to keep alive their domestic title hopes.