Lyon v Potsdam: the inside track

For the second year running Olympique Lyonnais and 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam meet in the UEFA Women's Champions League final. Can Potsdam equal 1. FFC Frankfurt's record of three European titles on Thursday night at Craven Cottage or will Lyon avenge their penalty shoot-out defeat 12 months ago? UEFA.com has a few pointers.

Schelin threat
Last year Potsdam goalkeeper Anna Felicitas Sarholz, then just 17, was superb in the 120 goalless minutes before stopping two Lyon penalties to turn around a shoot-out that seemed lost. However, injury deprived Lyon of one of the most prolific strikers in the women's game, Swedish international Lotta Schelin. This time Schelin is fighting fit and has nine strikes to her name, including two in the semi-final against Arsenal LFC – she struck seven last term. With Louisa Necib, Élodie Thomis, Lara Dickenmann, Eugénie Le Sommer and French league top scorer Sandrine Bretigny also in the lineup, Sarholz will have her young hands full.

Nagasato doubt
Potsdam are hardly short of goals either, with 43 in their eight-game run – and only four against. Eclipsing even the eternally free-scoring Anja Mittag is Yuki Nagasato, who like Schelin has managed nine in the competition so far this season including one in both legs of their semi-final victory over FCR 2001 Duisburg. However the 24-year-old, a substitute in last season's final when she converting a shoot-out penalty, suffered a knee injury playing for Japan against the United States on 14 May and will be missed if she does not recover.

Bajramaj swansong
Two years ago Fatmire Bajramaj played a key role as Duisburg ended their maiden European season with UEFA Women's Cup success against Zvezda-2005. She and Corina Schröder promptly left for Potsdam and helped them to victory against Lyon last year. No one has won three European women's club titles in a row but the charismatic Bajramaj is just the player to make history – not least as it is her last game before moving again, to 1. FFC Frankfurt.

Lyon improvement
Potsdam's starting lineup will be little changed from last year's. By contrast, Lyon have since added striker Le Sommer and re-signed defender Sonia Bompastor and midfielder Camille Abily after spells in the United States. While in 2009/10 Lyon only retained the French title on the final day, this term under new coach Patrice Lair they left everyone in their wake. With just one game left of the 22-match campaign they have not dropped a point and scored 101 goals, conceding five. That said, Potsdam also kept hold of the German championship despite a mighty challenge from a resurgent Frankfurt side free of European distraction.

Potsdam's winning experience
None of Lyon's stellar squad have a European club or senior international title to their names. By contrast, not only did Potsdam win last season, but Jennifer Zietz, Viola Odebrecht and Anja Mittag also featured in their 2005 UEFA Women's Cup triumph – coached as now by Bernd Schröder – while Bajramaj and Corina Schröder were victorious two years ago with Duisburg. And there is Germany's international dominance too: Babett Peter, Bianca Schmidt, Odebrecht, Bajramaj, Mittag and Zietz have won either or both the FIFA Women's World Cup or UEFA European Women's Championship.