Women's Champions League preview: Benfica vs Lyon

Benfica will be aiming to build upon their Matchday 4 success and keep their hopes of a UEFA Women's Champions League last-eight place alive, whilst Lyon will want to get back to winning ways after a rare defeat last time out.

• The Eagles opened their group stage goal account with Cloé Lacasse's early effort against Häcken in Gothenburg on 17 November, Catarina Amado securing a 2-1 win in added time.

• Third in Group D on four points, three behind Bayern München, Benfica will be unable to finish in the top two if they do not win and Bayern do at Häcken, or if Benfica lose and Bayern avoid defeat.

• Lyon, who required just a point against Bayern to reach the quarter-finals for the 13th time were undone by a second-half header from their former defender Saki Kumagai in Munich.

• The French club had won their opening three Group D encounters, including a 5-0 triumph against their opposition this evening on Matchday 2 in which all five goals came in a 34-minute spell either side of the break. Kadeisha Buchanan scored twice from close range (29, 63), with further strikes from Daniëlle van de Donk (31) and a Catarina Macario penalty (56) either side of Melvine Malard's 53rd-minute bicycle kick.

• Lyon will go through if they avoid defeat or Häcken and Bayern draw. They will be confirmed in first place if they win and Bayern do not.

Ones to watch: Benfica

Catarina Amado
• The 22-year-old's added-time winner against Häcken on Matchday 4 sealed Benfica's first win in Group D.

• The defender has featured in all eight of Benfica's UEFA Women's Champions League matches so far this term, qualifiers included – starting seven – and scored in the opening two minutes of the 7-0 preliminary round 1 victory against Racing Union on 21 August.

• Amado is in her third season with As Águias, having joined from Estoril in the summer of 2019.

• The Portuguese international played the full match in both of their FIFA Women's World Cup qualifiers in November, a 4-0 win against Israel 4-0 and a 3-1 loss to Germany.

Cloé Lacasse
• The 28-year-old scored the Eagles' first Group D goal three minutes into their 2-1 Matchday 4 success in Gothenburg.

• The forward has had nine attempts on goal in Group D, four on target.

• Lacasse's hat-trick against Dutch champions Twente ensured the Eagles would be the first Portuguese representatives to make the last 16 of this competition for the first time in any guise.

• She made her international debut as a substitute in Canada's 2-1 friendly defeat against Mexico on 27 November, coming off the bench again against the same opponents three days later.

Francisca Nazareth
• The 19-year-old has featured in each of Benfica's eight European matches this season, including qualifiers, starting all four Group D games.

• Nazareth scored three times in this season's qualifying campaign, including twice in the 7-0 success against Racing on 21 August.

• The Lisbon-born striker, known as "Kika", made her debut at the age of 16 and signed her first professional contract with Benfica in October 2020.

• The Portuguese international featured in both of FIFA Women's World Cup qualifiers, supplying the assist for their third goal in the 4-0 home triumph over Israel on 25 November.

Ones to watch: Lyon

Kadeisha Buchanan
• The 26-year-old showcased her threat from set pieces with a pair of goals via corners against Benfica on Matchday 2.

• The defender is one of three Lyon ever presents in the group stage so far along with Christiane Endler and Amandine Henry.

• Buchanan has four UEFA Women's Champions League winners' medals, playing in the final wins of 2017 and 2020.

• The Canadian international started both of her country's recent friendlies with Mexico, losing 2-1 on 27 November before a 0-0 draw three days later.

Ada Hegerberg 
• The 26-year-old made her first group stage start in the Matchday 4 loss in Munich, having returned in October from over 18 months out due to a cruciate ligament rupture and a stress fracture in her left tibia.

• The striker, who has scored more UEFA Women's Champions League goals than any other player (53), has gone four appearances without finding the net in this competition having struck 12 times in her previous five outings.

• Hegerberg scored a hat-trick in the 2019 final triumph against Barcelona, making her only the second player to his three goals in the competition's final after Duisburg's Inka Grings ten years earlier.

• The former Norwegian international, who extended her stay with Lyon until 2024 during her injury lay-off, has been the top scorer in two UEFA Women's Champions League campaigns, including a record 15 in 2017/18.

Melvine Malard
• The 21-year-old scored a stunning overhead kick against Benfica to add to the historic first goal in the inaugural group stage – after just ten minutes – of the 3-0 Matchday 1 victory against Häcken on 5 October.

• Malard was one of six players to find the net in both matchdays of this season's competition, including club-mate Catarina Macario.

• All seven of the forward's goals in this competition, including qualifying, have come in her last 12 outings.

• The French international came off the bench as a late replacement in their 2-0 FIFA Women's World Cup qualifying success against Wales on 30 November, supplying the assist for fellow substitute and Lyon team-mate Selma Bacha's goal.

Key stats

• Benfica have lost two of their eight European matches this season (W4 D2).

• The Lisbon outfit have not scored a home goal in Group D.

• Benfica have kept five clean sheets in their eight European matches this season.

• Lyon's defeat against Bayern on Matchday 4 was just their second in their last 38 UEFA Women's Champions League matches.

• Lyon have never lost successive UEFA Women's Champions League matches.

• This is Lyon'a first European match in Portugal.