Barcelona vs Lyon – News and Probable Lineups

The Women’s Champions League trophy is at stake this Saturday as Barcelona Women face Lyon Women in the final at Ullevaal Stadium in Oslo.

The Blaugrana aim for their fourth UWCL title, whereas the record champions are striving to secure their ninth victory in this esteemed tournament.

Match overview

Barcelona is prepared to make their sixth consecutive appearance in the UWCL final after successfully navigating both the league phase and knockout stages.

Finishing the league phase first with 16 points over six matches, Barcelona breezed through their quarter-final tie against rivals Real Madrid with an aggregate score of 12-2, before taking on German champions Bayern Munich in the semi-finals.

The Blaugrana settled for a 1-1 draw in Munich, but triumphed 4-2 at Camp Nou with standout performances from Alexia Putellas, Salma Paralluelo, and Ewa Pajor contributing to their success.

Following their second-leg victory, Barcelona notched two league wins prior to clinching a 3-1 win against Atletico Madrid in last Saturday’s Copa de la Reina final in Gran Canaria.

Claudia Pina, Esmee Brugts, and Paralluelo all added their names to the scoresheet in the first half as the Catalan giants secured the domestic cup, adding to the Liga and Spanish Super Cup titles already won this season.

Pere Romeu’s side stands just one match away from achieving a quadruple, looking to erase the memory of last season’s disappointment after taking a 1-0 defeat to Arsenal in the UWCL final.

In their past encounters in the UWCL final against Lyon, the Blaugrana have only secured three wins, but their most recent match-up yielded a victory in the 2023-24 season, where Aitana Bonmati and Alexia Putellas scored in a 2-0 win at San Mames.

Jonatan Giraldez was at the helm for Barcelona during that remarkable day, but two years later, having guided the club to back-to-back UWCL titles, the 34-year-old now has the chance to win the tournament with two different clubs.

Since taking charge at OL last summer, Giraldez has already led the team to victories in both the League Cup and French Cup as they aim for a quadruple.

Competing under the name OL Lyonnes, Lyon will look to retain their Premiere Ligue title when they take on Paris FC in the playoff final on May 29, but first, they will seek to add a ninth European title, their first since 2022.

The French side started their quest to the final with a second-place finish in the league phase, finishing just behind Barcelona on goal difference, and came back from a 1-0 deficit in their quarter-final against Wolfsburg.

After securing a 4-0 extra-time win in the second leg, Lyon staged another comeback in their semi-final against Arsenal, overcoming a 2-1 first-leg loss with a 3-1 victory at the Groupama Stadium, where Jule Brand’s 86th-minute goal secured their spot in Oslo.

Despite losing 2-0 to Barcelona in the 2023-24 final, Lyon had previously triumphed in their first two encounters in finals against the Catalans, winning 4-1 in Budapest in 2018-19 and 3-1 in Turin in 2021-22.

Indeed, the record European champions have emerged victorious in eight of their past 11 final appearances, scoring three or more goals in regulation time in three of their last four UWCL finals.

Team News

Barcelona will be without Laia Aleixandri, who is sidelined due to a long-term knee injury.

Caroline Graham Hansen is available for selection after recovering from a three-match injury layoff.

Three-time Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmati might not start, having only recently returned from a lengthy absence.

Star forward Ewa Pajor enters the final as the joint top scorer of the competition, boasting nine goals in the UWCL this season.

On the other hand, Lyon will miss long-term absentee Liana Joseph, who has been out since October with an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

Kadidiatou Diani is also unavailable for the final due to knee surgery following her injury sustained in the second leg against Arsenal.

Teagan Micah and Elma Junttila Nelhage are additionally out due to injury, while Ines Benyahia is doubtful after missing the last five matchday squads.

Claudio Giraldez may implement several alterations to the lineup that dominated Nantes last weekend, with Lindsey Heaps, Lily Yohannes, and Ada Hegerberg pushing for inclusion in the starting XI.

Barcelona Women probable starting XI:

Coll; Batlle, Paredes, Leon, Brugts; Lopez, Guijarro, Putellas; Graham Hansen, Pina, Pajor

Lyon Women probable starting XI:

Ends; Lawrence, Renard, Engen, Bacha; Dumornay, Heaps, Yohannes; Becho, Brand, Hegerberg

This match poses a challenging prediction as it feels like a clash of Europe’s top two teams. If anyone is capable of devising a strategy to defeat Barcelona, it’s their former manager, Giraldez, and the abundance of attacking talent at his disposal could exploit gaps left by the Blaugrana defence.

Considering this, we anticipate that the French giants may emerge victorious in a closely contested match to secure a ninth UWCL trophy.