Lyon vs Paris Saint-Germain Women's Champions League preview: Where to watch, line-ups

Lyon and Paris Saint-Germain meet in the UEFA Women's Champions League semi-final first leg on Saturday 20 April at OL Stadium.

What do you need to know

Lyon and Paris Saint-Germain meet for the fourth time in the Champions League semi-finals, and when they kick off on Saturday it will be the 11th game between the two in Europe, becoming the most played match in UEFA women's competition history.

The three previous Champions League semi-finals have all gone Lyon's way, in each case followed by them lifting the trophy. OL have generally had the upper hand on the domestic stage too, with four wins in a row before their 1-1 league draw at OL Stadium in February in which Paris were only denied victory by a 90th-minute own goal.

The last time Paris won away to Lyon was the 2-1 comeback victory in the second leg of their 2020/21 quarter-final, taking them through on away goals – something that cannot happen this time. The fact that Paris's last win over 90 minutes at Lyon before that was in 2014, also in the Champions League, adds emphasis to OL's dominance.

As if that was not enough, this season's Women's Champions League top scorer with seven goals is Lyon's Kadidiatou Diani, a summer transfer from Paris, where she was similarly prolific. She is far from the only former Paris player in the Lyon squad, though Sakina Karchaoui moved the other way in 2021.

Sara Däbritz has been ruled out for the season after ankle surgery while Lyon stalwart Eugénie Le Sommer has had her most prolific campaign in years ended early after a knee injury in France's recent qualifier against Sweden. Dzsenifer Marozsán and Ada Hegerberg (fresh from signing a new contract) are also missing and Delphine Cascarino is available after a knock in the Sweden-France game.

More than 30,000 tickets have been sold, making a record attendance for this particular fixture almost certain; that currently stands at the 30,661 that saw Lyon beat Paris in a November 2019 league game.

Paris have Elisa de Almeida and Lieke Martens back from hamstring problems with Jackie Groenen also having recently returned to the side. Clare Hunt and Oriane Jean-François remain out.

Form guide

Lyon
Last six games: WWWWWW
Last match: Saint-Étienne 1-6 Lyon, 14/04, league
Where they stand: 1st in D1 Féminine

Paris Saint-Germain
Last six games: DWWWWW
Last match: Guingamp 3-3 Paris, 13/04, league
Where they stand: 2nd in D1 Féminine, French Cup final

Starting line-ups

Lyon: Endler; Carpenter, Mbock Bathy, Renard, Bacha; Horan, Egurrola, Dumornay; Diani, Becho, Cascarino

Paris: Picaud; Le Guilly, Gaetino, De Almeida, Karchaoui; Geyoro, Groenen, Albert; Chawinga, Katoto, Baltimore

View from the camps

Sonia Bompastor, Lyon coach: "Sara Däbritz will not be available, she had ankle surgery [and] it's the end of the season for her with OL. Marozsán will not be available. Eugénie, her season is over with OL, but there is still hope for her to play for the Olympics.”

"[The ticket sales are] great; we've often spoken about it, saying that we love playing in full stadiums. I want to congratulate everyone for this work and at the same time say 'Finally'. We see that when this work is done, it works. We have to make sure that this can last as long as possible.”

Jocelyn Prêcheur, Paris coach: "We know very well that when we reach this stage of the competition, we inevitably play a big game. We must go there with conviction, determination and all our qualities. It will come down to details, we know their strong points.

"OL have experience of this type of game, more than us. A larger squad as well. But we have our qualities. We must forget the past and focus on ourselves, before thinking about the opponents. Each player must concentrate on their job. Because the slightest mistake can be costly. Mentally, we have to be confident. The anxiety that accompanies this type of event must be controlled."

Wendie Renard, Lyon captain: "This [semi-final] demonstrates the level of French women's football. Being at this stage of the competition demonstrates a certain consistency. The attendance record: we worked hard for that. A number of people have worked within the club to achieve these performances. It's up to us to make people want to come and create this bond with them.

"[Paris have attacking] players who have a lot of quality. Marie-Antoinette Katoto, it took her a while after her return. Tabitha Chawinga does them a lot of good. We have been warned, we know. Depth is a preferential path for Chawinga, we will make sure to be strong, that requires concentration and communication. It's always fun to face these kinds of players. We also have assets to hurt them. We are ready."

Marie-Antoinette Katoto, Paris forward: "We are aware of what is at stake. We have given ourselves the chance to dream very big. We will do everything to confirm this as a fantastic season."

Where is the 2024 UEFA Women's Champions League final being played?

San Mamés Stadium in Bilbao will stage the 2024 Women's Champions League final on Saturday 25 May, at 18:00 CET.

The 50,000-plus capacity home of Bilbao's Athletic Club was built on the site of the old San Mamés, replacing the 100-year-old arena of the same name in 2013. Athletic Club women's team have played several games in the new stadium, attracting 48,121 fans for a 2019 cup tie against Atlético de Madrid, at the time a Spanish record.