Seventy-two teams have taken part in the Women’s Champions League this season, and on Saturday, the remaining two sides will battle it out to be crowned champions of Europe.
Barcelona Women will be aiming to retain their European crown, but they must overcome Lyon Women, who are aiming to win the competition for the eighth time.
Barcelona lifted the Women’s Champions League trophy for the first time in their history last season after thrashing Chelsea in the final, and the defending champions will now have the chance to retain their crown when they face Lyon on Saturday.
For the most part, Barcelona’s passage to the final has been a simple one, with a group containing Arsenal and Hoffenheim comfortably negotiated before their rivals Real Madrid were brushed aside by an 8-3 aggregate scoreline in the quarter-final.
Wolfsburg were then thrashed 5-1 in the first leg of their semi-final clash, however, they were given a scare in the second leg in Germany, with Die Wolfinnen clinching a 2-0 victory at the Volkswagen Arena to condemn the Catalan giants to their first competitive defeat since June 2021.
The second leg loss could not prevent Jonatan Giraldez’s side from reaching the final, and they head to Turin in confident mood after winning their last three matches.
With the Primera Iberdrola title already wrapped up and a Copa del la Reina semi-final still to come, Barcelona will keep their hopes of a treble alive if they can lift the Champions League trophy on Saturday.
After scoring 37 goals across their 10 Champions League matches this season, the Spanish champions will believe that they have the firepower to beat a high-quality Lyon side.
Lyon are the most successful team in Women’s Champions League history after being crowned champions of Europe on seven occasions.
The French side ousted Levante in the qualifying round to begin their European campaign before they eased through the group phase to set up a quarter-final tie with Juventus.
After losing 2-1 in the first leg against the Italian champions, Sonia Bompastor’s charges fought back in France to clinch a 4-2 aggregate victory.
A semi-final tie against fellow French side Paris Saint-Germain followed, with Lyon claiming a 5-3 win over the two legs to reach the Champions League final for the 10th time in their history.
Unlike their opponents, a treble is not possible for Lyon, but with the league title all but sealed, Les Fenottes will be dreaming about winning a double this season.
Aiming to claim their fourth European title in the last five seasons, the French outfit will be looking to draw inspiration from their 4-0 victory over Barcelona in the 2019 Champions League final.
Barcelona Women Women’s Champions League form:
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Barcelona Women form (all competitions):
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Lyon Women Women’s Champions League form:
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Lyon Women form (all competitions):
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We say: Barcelona Women 2-1 Lyon Women
Barcelona have only lost one game in all competitions this season, and although we expect Lyon to offer a stern test, we think that the defending champions will have the extra bit of quality needed to clinch a narrow victory over the seven-time Champions League winners on Saturday.