French clubs under pressure: defending champions Olympique Lyonnais and Paris Saint-Germain travel to Chelsea and Wolfsburg on Thursday in the quarter-finals of the Women’s Champions League and will have to score and win to reach the last four of C1.
An elimination of OL and PSG before the semi-finals would be historic, as Lyon have dominated this competition for years, winning the “big ears” cup eight times between 2011 and 2022.
Les Parisiennes have reached the last four six times, in particular during the three previous editions (2020, 2021, 2022) and were twice finalists in 2015 and 2017, without ever winning the competition. We have to go back to 2014 to find an edition without a French club in the semi-finals…
Less brilliant this season, in particular because of several absences, Lyon and Paris had already complicated their task by finishing second in their pool during the group stage. And the quarter-finals first leg, lost 1-0 by the two clubs at home, did nothing to help their European season.
At Stamford Bridge (9:00 p.m.), OL’s mission is to overthrow the Blues, who have already fallen twice from PSG in the group stage (1-0 and 3-0).
As well as star attackers Sam Kerr, Pernille Harder and Fran Kirby, the English side have a strong defense and have conceded just one goal this season, against Real Madrid.
Especially the Lyonnaises, without several of their injured stars (Macario, Hegerberg, M’Bock), were too little dangerous last Wednesday, apart from a nice strike from Delphine Cascarino, who hit the post.
Ballon d’Or 2018 Ada Hegerberg, injured for several months, resumed competition and scored on Saturday against Guingamp in D1 (6-0).
– Kadidiatou Diani, borrowed? –
Beaten by Wolfsburg (1-0) on the way to the Parc des Princes after being reduced to ten for more than thirty minutes, the Parisiennes will also have to win Thursday (6:45 p.m.) in Germany.
The Germans, qualified for their eleventh consecutive quarter-final in C1, nevertheless seem within reach of the Parisians, like a first leg match dominated by the players of Gérard Prêcheur, but lacking in efficiency.
“Wolfsburg is a great team, prestigious at international level, perhaps they did not perform in the first leg as they are capable of doing, but as a result they won, in a particular circumstance”, said declared the Parisian coach, Wednesday at a press conference, expecting a “motivated team to come and urge us”.
“We have planned how we are going to play in relation to this”, in particular on the “mental which will take up a lot of space”, he added.
Sunday in the league, the Parisiennes, second just behind OL, were not completely reassured in front of goal, after their difficult victory in Montpellier (1-0).
Their star striker Kadidiatou Diani seemed borrowed by a complicated extra-sporting context. His companion and sports adviser, César Mavacala, is being prosecuted for extortion in an organized gang, suspected of having pressured PSG to obtain the signing or extension of his players.
After missing a penalty, she was sent off late in the game following an angry gesture with goalkeeper Lisa Schmitz. Diani is expected for a reaction on Thursday, unlike defender Elisa De Almeida, excluded from the first leg.
In the half, if the Lyonnaises were to qualify, they would find FC Barcelona easily qualified after their victory at Camp Nou on Wednesday against AS Roma 5-1 (1-0, first leg).
Paris would challenge Arsenal who overthrew Bayern Munich in the quarter, beaten 1-0 in the first leg, but won 2-0 in the return.
The semi-finals of the Women’s Champions League are due to be held on April 22 and 29.
