Sarah Bouhaddi on Lyon's final against Wolfsburg

Sarah Bouhaddi, like Lyon team-mate Wendie Renard, is set to play her ninth UEFA Women's Champions League final in 11 seasons on Sunday, aiming for a seventh win, and for the fourth time their opponents are Wolfsburg.

The French goalkeeper joined Lyon from Juvisy (now Paris FC) in 2009, and converted a winning shoot-out penalty of her own at the 2017 decider against Paris Saint-Germain in Cardiff – but her favourite final memory may be a surprise choice.

On preparation for Sunday’s final ...

I think it’ll be a tactical battle that will come down to minor details. Wolfsburg are used to reaching the semi-finals and getting to the final. They’re a team that resembles us because they also sail through and win their league. So we’ll go into the game at 0-0. The lead-up is different: they will have had a day’s more recovery, so maybe that will play a part. We’ll try to recover as much as possible until matchday. We’ll need to be very focused, very attentive and make the most of our chances.

On training for penalties ...

Actually, I don’t train every day, but I watch quite a lot of penalty shoot-outs, the penalty takers, and I also watch my opponents’ games. I think we’ll quietly work on our opponents. It’s going to be a close game; if we have to go to penalties, we’ll go to penalties. We have a psychological advantage over them, so we want to give it our all. If we give it our all, we won’t be disappointed about the result, but it’s important to give everything in this game. And if I had to [take a penalty] again, I would do.

On the expectation to perform ...

In France, like in Europe, everyone wants to dethrone Lyon. It’s true that it’s a bit annoying to always see the same team on top. It helps us develop too, because all these teams work and want to go after us. We feel relaxed; we know what goes on within our team and our group. Other people don’t know, nor do journalists. Even during the game, we’re criticised because no one knows the tactics that are implemented by the coach. We have collective strength, even though some people try to make us doubt that.

On Wolfsburg’s Friederike Abt, who took over as first choice in May ...

Unless they change for the final, I’ve never played against this goalkeeper, so we don’t know each other so well. It could have an impact; it will be her first final. But that’s not something we have to rely on because Abt has played some games during their preparation period; their championship resumed after lockdown so she’s played some games and has performed well in this Champions League, so we’ll see. We’ll analyse her in order to make it difficult for her.

On the hunger for success ...

We’re proud to be where we are, and we want to keep going further and further. That’s what makes us feel alive and allows us to improve. You know Wendie [Renard], you know Eugénie [Le Sommer]; our aim is to win everything and beat everyone, so we’ll keep our fingers crossed that we give everything and win this game.

On returning to competitive football ...

We stopped for five months and we’d missed football a lot. When you see all the events happening around the world today, I try to enjoy my job as much as possible, as it’s a job for me today and it’s also a pleasure to be able to do it.

On her most memorable final ...

You’ll find it strange but it’s the one I lost, my first final, in Getafe [2010 on penalties against Turbine Potsdam]. It was 11 seasons ago; it was my first one, a landmark moment. We were lucky because our president had brought our families there and many fans. We mentioned it again with Amandine [Henry] at lunch, and we talk about it very often; it really was magical.

Nobody expected Lyon to be playing a final. It was not the great Lyon team we know today, but we were the first players to make it to a final and then on to our current situation. Ten years ago it was impossible to imagine that we would still be here today. We’re still here; that’s why it’s my best memory even if it’s a lost final. It made me and the club grow.