Women's Champions League Matchday 2 Thursday preview

UEFA Women's Champions League group stage Matchday 2 continues on Thursday.

We preview the action, including the latest chapter in one of the great competition rivalries as Wolfsburg host Lyon.

Group A

Galatasaray vs Roma 

Galatasaray, who on their debut European season became the first Turkish side to reach the group stage, could not have asked for a tougher start than visiting Lyon but on a rainy night in France the visitors showed spirit in a 3-0 loss to the eight-time champions. It does not get any easier, though, as Galatasaray now host Italian champions Roma, fresh from their potentially crucial 1-0 defeat of Wolfsburg.

Last year a strong start of four points from two games did not help Roma through, as they managed only a single draw in the remaining four fixtures, but it was a tenacious performance against Wolfsburg who had more than their share of chances. The trip to Istanbul is Roma's chance to show they can dominate as favourites, as they did in the round 2 second-leg 7-2 victory at Servette FCCF, when a 3-1 home win had left the tie far from decided.

Wolfsburg vs Lyon 

In the just over two decades since UEFA women's club competition began a few classic rivalries have been born and this is perhaps the richest of all. It is not the most played tie – Lyon have met Paris Saint-Germain 12 times in Europe and this will be only their ninth meeting with Wolfsburg – but for more than a decade, these clubs have faced off for the very biggest stakes.

Four times these teams have played each other in finals, one more than either Frankfurt-Umeå or Lyon-Barcelona. Wolfsburg prevailed in the first, on debut in 2013, winning 1-0 against a Lyon side unbeaten in over 100 games, but OL had revenge in 2016 (on penalties), 2018 (in extra time) and 2020 (a 3-1 victory with considerable twists). Lyon also took out Wolfsburg in the 2016/17 and 2018/19 quarter-finals, each time winning in Germany.

Plenty of personal rivalries will be renewed, including Lyon's Wendie Renard, the only player with more than 100 competition appearances, up against Wolfsburg's Alex Popp, set to become the second woman to reach a century on Thursday; both were involved in all eight past encounters, as was Eugénie Le Sommer and her now departed Lyon colleague Sarah Bouhaddi. The stat that really matters for Wolfsburg is getting off the mark in Group A after that loss at Roma, having hit the crossbar more than once in search of an equaliser, and closing the gap on Lyon. Wolfsburg's 2-0 victory at home to Bayern on Saturday will be a boost.

Group B

Real Madrid vs Celtic 

Real Madrid suffered a sixth straight group stage loss on Matchday 1 as they were beaten 3-2 at Chelsea but there were more than a few signs in London that they can avoid a third consecutive exit in this round. Madrid trailed 2-0 and 3-1 but their late surge after the introduction of Linda Caicedo (her minutes being managed after travelling to the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup) suggested that Alberto Toril's revamped squad are a threat to anyone this season.

Celtic also lost on Matchday 1, the first Scottish side to make the group stage falling 2-0 to goals late in each half for Twente. The visit to Madrid is perhaps the greatest test for Celtic in the 17-year history of their women's team.

Twente vs Chelsea 

The two Matchday 1 winners face off on Enschede in what is a quick return to Twente for Chelsea's Wieke Kaptein, signed by the London club from the Dutch side in summer 2023 but loaned back for last season to help the Tukkers pip Champions League quarter-finalists Ajax to the Eredivisie title. Kaptein featured as an illness and injury-hit Chelsea side beat Madrid 3-2 in their first European game under Sonia Bompastor and the Blues will hope to continue their excellent away Champions League form under Emma Hayes last season, winning at Ajax and Barcelona among others. They also secured a crucial 2-1 league win at Arsenal on Saturday.

Kayleigh van Dooren, who was already the four-goal joint-top scorer in qualifying, got both as Twente won their group debut at Celtic. But this will be the test to see if they can challenge the top two seeds and emulate Ajax's quarter-final run last season.