UEFA Women's Champions League: Players to watch in the quarter-final second legs

As the UEFA Women's Champions League quarter-finals conclude on Wednesday and Thursday, we pick out four players crucial to their clubs' hopes of progress.

Delphine Cascarino (Lyon)

Lyon have never lost a home first leg before, so travelling to Chelsea on Thursday aiming to overturn a 1-0 deficit is a new experience. That said, OL have already been to the London and won 1-0 this season against Arsenal in December and that night flying winger Cascarino was the visitors' most potent threat.

Even in the first leg Cascarino was unfortunate not to score and someone who at 26 has already been on the winning side in four Champions League finals has the winning pedigree that Lyon have had in abundance over the last decade. Indeed, in the 2019 semi-final against Chelsea it was Cascarino that got the first goal as Lyon went on to eliminate the Blues.

Caitlin Foord (Arsenal)

Arsenal will have to overturn a 1-0 first-leg deficit against Bayern on Wednesday, but can take some hope from the chances they created in Munich, in particular through Australia winger Foord, who dominated down the left flank and hit the post with one curling shot. It was far from her first excellent European performance this season, having scored twice in both the 5-1 win at Lyon and 9-1 success at Zürich.

Described as "a machine" by new team-mate Victoria Pelova, Foord also starred earlier this month when Arsenal beat Chelsea 3-1 in the League Cup final to turn around a season that seemed to be stuttering. The Gunners had lost to the Blues in the FA Cup a week earlier; Foord would love to inspire another quick reversal of fortunes against Bayern.

Vicky Losada (Roma)

Losada won a host of trophies across several spells with Barcelona, not least the Champions League in 2020/21. But on Wednesday she will try and help plot their downfall as Roma, who Losada joined from Manchester City in January, come to the Camp Nou with a 1-0 deficit to overturn.

Almost the only thing Losada did not do in her time at Barcelona, which began in the youth system, was play at the famed stadium having missed out on the women's league debut there in January 2021 against Espanyol due to a positive COVID test. Although not always a starter for Roma, Losada ought to play a role in the second leg, having proved a threat when coming off the bench at Stadio Olimpico.

Vicky Losada faces Barcelona for the first time having played over 300 games for themUEFA via Getty Images

Lena Oberdorf (Wolfsburg)

Paris Saint-Germain might have been forgiven for not thinking it was terrible news when Wolfsburg's midfield anchor went off with what seemed a bad knee injury the weekend before the first leg, and would only have been human if their hearts had not sunk when Oberdorf's name surprisingly appeared in the starting line-up. Sure enough, she played a big role in Wolfsburg's 1-0 away win, the decisive penalty coming when her header was handled by Élisa de Almeida, who also received a second yellow card.

But then at 21 Oberdorf is firmly established as a key performer for club and country, named UEFA Women's EURO 2022 Young Player of the Tournament after helping Germany to the final, and a serious rival to Beth Mead for the senior prize. If Wolfsburg end their nine-year wait for a third Champions League title, it would be no surprise to see Oderdorf among the individual honours – provided she can help get them past Paris on Thursday.