Holders Barcelona take on seven-time champions Lyon on Sunday in Turin in a rematch of the 2019 final.
Barcelona play Lyon in the 2022 UEFA Women’s Champions League final on Saturday at Juventus Stadium in Turin in what is perhaps the most eagerly awaited match ever in the female club game.
Holders Barcelona have come a long way since losing 4-1 to Lyon in the 2019 Budapest final, when they conceded four including an Ada Hegerberg hat-trick before half-time. Last season they were 4-0 up at the break in Gothenburg against Chelsea, and held that scoreline to claim their first title.
They only time Barça have not won a competitive match this season was the 2-0 reverse in their semi-final second leg at Wolfsburg, which they began 5-1 up after a spectacular performance in front of another 90,000 plus crowd at the Camp Nou. Captain Alexia Putellas, holder of the main individual awards in the women’s game, begins the final ahead in the Top Scorer race with ten goals.
Lyon’s run has been less spectacular but, a year after their five-season reign was ended in the last eight by Paris Saint-Germain, the competition’s record seven-time winners are in an unprecedented tenth final, all since 2010.
Three years ago they began as warm favourites but they start in Turin as probable outsiders, although with Hegerberg back from serious injury and firing again, and evergreen captain Wendie Renard now past 100 competition appearances and tied to a new long-term deal, writing off Lyon in any match has been pretty foolish for well over a decade.
Compared to that 2019 final, the Lyon team is likely to be much more changed than Barcelona’s, with Caroline Graham Hansen and Irene Paredes the major Blaugrana arrivals since that reverse. For Lyon, long-time stalwarts like Sarah Bouhaddi, Eugénie Le Sommer and perhaps Amandine Henry are not expected to start, while Dzsenifer Marozsán is injured, making way for new stars like Christiane Endler in goal, Ellie Carpenter, Damaris Egurrola, Lindsey Horan and Catarina Macario.
Form guide
Barcelona
Last six games: WWWLWW
Last match: Barcelona 2-1 Atlético, 15/05
Where they stand: Spanish champions, Copa de la Reina semi-finals
Lyon
Last six games (most recent result first): WWWWWW
Last match: Lyon 3-2 Paris FC, 08/05
Where they stand: 1st in Division 1 Féminine
Possible starting line-ups
Barclona: Paños; Torrejón, Paredes, Mapi León, Ouahabi; Losada, Guijarro, Putellas; Graham Hansen, Hermoso, Martens
Lyon: Endler; Carpenter, Renard, Mbock Bathy, Bacha; Henry, Egurrola, Horan; D Cascarino, Hegerberg, Macario
Where to watch
Every game in this season’s new-look UEFA Women’s Champions League from the group stage onwards has been broadcast live in most territories on streaming platform DAZN, together with YouTube. The YouTube stream will also be embedded in the UEFA.com MatchCentre and on UEFA.tv for all UEFA Women’s Champions League games, with highlights to follow at midnight CET.
View from the camps
Jonatan Giráldez, Barcelona coach: “It’s a game we’re really excited about because of what it is – the fact it’s a final, because it’s against Lyon, because it’s a game that really fires you up, one we really can’t wait to play in. We’ve poured in all our energy over the course of the season to get this far, and I hope we’re up to scratch. I think we’re going into this game feeling good; we’ve been doing very well in the league, Champions League and in the cup, and I think that will be palpable in the game.”
Sonia Bompastor, Lyon coach: “When we think about the reality of this final, Barcelona are the holders and you could say they’re the favourites. But Lyon have a lot of experience; we have played a lot of finals. I remember in 2011 and 2012 we were outsiders against German teams who were dominating European football at the time; we were able to win and we knew what we had to do to snatch victory.”
Alexia Putellas, Barcelona captain: “It’s very special [to play in a final for my childhood club]. It’s very special for Barça supporters. Everybody knows that to be playing a Champions League final wearing this shirt is incredible, especially knowing that all the fans are going to be supporting us. We’re going to use all that energy they are going to give us to lift that trophy.”
Wendie Renard, Lyon captain: “We’re here to write our own story, not prove anything to anyone. We’re here to make history and win the trophy. We’ve had our journey, so have Barcelona, but there are two teams, one trophy, and I am hungry to go home with that trophy.”
Irene Paredes, Barcelona defender: “It’s such a special final. These are the two teams that deserve to be in the final, the two best teams in Europe, possibly the world. It will be a hard-fought game. Many of the Lyon players have won seven titles; we recently won it ourselves and we want to retain it.”
Ada Hegerberg, Lyon forward: “It’s incredible to be back in the final. I spent two years injured and last year if you’d said I’d be in a Champions League final, I wouldn’t have believed you. This is a huge day for women’s football. We want to showcase what we are made of.”
Credit: www.uefa.com
