Arsenal Women vs Lyon Women - prediction, team news, lineups

Arsenal Women volition invited Lyon Women to the Emirates Stadium for Sunday's Women's Champions League semi-final archetypal leg. 

The reigning European champions got the amended of Chelsea successful the erstwhile round, portion Lyon prevailed successful their quarter-final against Wolfsburg.  

Match preview

Arsenal are the lone squad near successful the contention that finished the league signifier extracurricular of the apical four.

After settling for 5th spot, the Gunners cruised to a 7-1 triumph implicit Leuven successful the knockout circular playoffs to acceptable up an all-English quarter-final against Chelsea.

Renee Slegers's broadside claimed a 3-1 occurrence successful the location leg, and portion they conceded precocious successful the instrumentality fixture, a 1-0 decision astatine Stamford Bridge could not forestall them from reaching a ninth European semi-final.

Unfortunately for Arsenal, they followed that second-leg nonaccomplishment with a surprise 2-0 location defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion successful the FA Cup quarter-finals, ending their hopes of winning the contention for the archetypal clip since 2015-16. 

After having plentifulness of clip to enactment that effect down them implicit the planetary break, the Gunners volition present beryllium focusing connected their efforts to repetition past season's UWCL semi-final triumph implicit Lyon, which saw Arsenal overturn a first-leg shortage with an emphatic 4-1 triumph successful France. 

The Gunners volition request to grounds their first-ever location triumph implicit Lyon if they are to found a first-leg vantage this clip around.

Lyon, meanwhile, volition beryllium keen to close the wrongs of past year's semi-final arsenic they bid to triumph a ninth Women's Champions League trophy.

In opposition to Arsenal, the French giants precocious consecutive to the quarter-final signifier aft finishing the league signifier successful 2nd spot and level connected points with first-placed Barcelona.

Jonatan Giraldez's broadside past fell to a 1-0 decision successful the archetypal limb their quarter-final clash against Wolfsburg, leaving them with enactment to bash successful the instrumentality fixture earlier this month.

Lily Yohannes scored the lone extremity of regularisation clip successful the 2nd leg, earlier Lyon put 3 past a tiring Wolfsburg side successful other clip to scope the past 4 for the 15th clip successful their history.

Having already won the French League Cup, Lyon kept their quadruple dreams live with a resounding 6-0 triumph implicit Strasbourg successful the Coupe de France semi-finals earlier this month, earlier they returned from the planetary interruption with a commanding 4-0 triumph successful Wednesday's Premiere Ligue clash with Dijon.

They should fancy their chances of picking up different triumph connected Sunday, fixed the information they person won each of their erstwhile 5 distant games against Arsenal, including a 2-1 occurrence successful October's league signifier encounter.  

Arsenal Women Women's Champions League form:

W W W W W L 

Arsenal Women signifier (all competitions):

W W W W L L 

Lyon Women Women's Champions League form:

W D W W L W 

Lyon Women signifier (all competitions):

W L D W W W

Team News

Arsenal defender Steph Catley remains sidelined with a calf injury, portion Kyra Cooney-Cross and Beth Mead are unavailable owed to idiosyncratic reasons.

Leah Williamson is disposable for enactment aft returning from wounded successful England’s World Cup qualifying triumph implicit Iceland. 

The competition’s starring scorer, Alessia Russo, volition person a cardinal relation to play, having scored 8 goals successful 10 UWCL appearances this season.

Meanwhile, Lyon stay without semipermanent absentee Liana Joseph, who has been retired since sustaining a superior genu wounded successful October’s clash against Arsenal.

Christiane Endler, Ingrid Engen, Kadidiatou Diani and Ada Hegerberg are acceptable to travel into the lineup aft being rested for the midweek league outing

Selma Bacha and Melchie Dumornay are expected to shingle disconnected the wounded issues that prevented them from playing for their countries successful the caller planetary window.

Arsenal Women imaginable starting lineup:

Van Domselaar; Fox, Williamson, Wubben-Moy, McCabe; Caldentey, Little; Smith, Russo, Foord; Blackstenius 

Lyon Women imaginable starting lineup:

Endler; Lawrence, Sombath, Renard, Bacha; Schrader, Heaps, Yohannes; Diani, Brand, Hegerberg

We say: Arsenal Women 1-2 Lyon Women

We expect Sunday's contention to beryllium a close-fought brushwood betwixt 2 high-quality sides, which is wherefore we judge Sunday's archetypal limb volition nutrient a constrictive scoreline.

Rather than the hosts, we deliberation the effect volition spell Lyon's way, fixed the information they person a knack of emerging victorious from distant games against Arsenal. 

For information investigation of the astir apt results, scorelines and much for this lucifer delight click here.