Lyon vs Bayern Women's Champions League preview: Where to watch, starting line-ups

Lyon and Bayern München meet in the UEFA Women's Champions League quarter-final second leg on Wednesday 26 March at OL Stadium.

What do you need to know?

Lyon have gone through from 13 of their 15 previous quarter-finals and goals from Tabitha Chawinga and Melchie Dumornay in Munich last Tuesday have put them in pole position to get to a 14th semi (no other club has reached more than eight).

For Bayern, who had won every game they had played in 2025 before this first leg, the highlight was undoubtedly just before half-time, when Lindsey Heaps' penalty was saved by Maria-Luisa Grohs, making her first senior competitive appearance in goal since being diagnosed with a malignant tumour in November (though coach Alexander Straus has said he will continue to rotate Grohs and Ena Mahmutovic). Bayern are missing Lena Oberdorf, Katharina Naschenweng and Georgia Stanway but Tuva Hansen and Giulia Gwinn are fit and Glódís Viggósdóttir could also be available.

Pernille Harder, still the competition top scorer on six goals, provided a threat for Bayern, and she will be as determined as anyone to turn the tie, having previously suffered four Champions League exits (including two final defeats) against Lyon while with Wolfsburg. She showed her ability to turn a tie on Saturday when Harder's hat-trick helped Bayern overturn a two-goal deficit to beat Hoffenheim 3-2 in the German Cup semi-finals.

Form guide

Lyon
Last six games: WWWWWW
Last match: Saint-Étienne 0-5 Lyon, 22/03, league
Where they stand: 1st in Première Ligue

Bayern
Last six games: WLWWWW
Last match: Bayern 3-2 Hoffenheim, 22/03, German Cup semi-finals
Where they stand: 1st in Frauen Bundesliga, German Cup final

Starting line-ups

Lyon: Endler; Carpenter, Gilles, Renard, Bacha; Marozsán, Heaps, Egurrola; Diani, Dumornay, Chawinga

Bayern: Grohs; Gwinn, Hansen, Eriksson, Simon; Lohmann, Zigotti; Tanikawa, Harder, Bühl; Damnjanović

View from the camps

Joe Montemurro, Lyon coach: "Bayern play without pressure, and that's dangerous for us. We saw that in the first leg, where they had chances to put us in danger. The message this week was to perform well and give it our all. We'll have to go out onto the pitch with the goal of finishing the job. We know Bayern are a good team. We'll have to do what's necessary; we'll see.

"With my squad, I have the ability to rotate and rest certain players. I have an incredible squad in terms of intensity and competition. All the girls give 100% for the team. It's my job to create a positive environment to achieve our goals. We have to manage the players individually so they keep the rhythm. I have confidence in all my players because I know that no matter how many minutes they play, they give 100%.”

Ellie Carpenter, Lyon defender: "We're doing well. We're two goals ahead, but it's not over yet. We're very focused and confident, and we're looking forward to tomorrow. We'll have to be intense from the start. We know Bayern will want to score quickly. It's up to us to do what we need to and score ourselves.

"We're working well with our defensive line. We're trying to keep as many clean sheets as possible because we know that by not conceding a goal, we have a good chance of winning. We're a real team. Everyone works well together. There's a good atmosphere both on the pitch and in the dressing room.”

Alexander Straus, Bayern coach: "We need two goals. We also know that there will be some situations which we have to handle better than we did in the first leg. If we make any little mistakes, we will be punished immediately. It's a big task. The first goal will be very important. We will try to score that goal, but without being reckless."

Jovana Damnjanović, Bayern forward: "We have respect, of course, but no fear ... We've shown in the past that we can turn games around. Against Hoffenheim, we had 60 minutes, [on Wednesday] we have 90 minutes."

Where is the 2025 UEFA Women's Champions League final being played?

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Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon will stage the 2025 UEFA Women's Champions League final on Saturday 24 May.

The home of Sporting CP opened in 2003 ahead of UEFA EURO 2004 in Portugal, replacing another stadium of the same name. It hosted a semi-final of that tournament, among other games, and was the venue for the UEFA Cup decider the following year.

The 2025 final will be the second Women's Champions League showpiece to be held in Lisbon after 2014, when Estádio do Restelo staged Wolfsburg's 4-3 win against Tyresö.