Women's Champions League preview: Lyon vs Häcken

Lyon, who clinched a place in the UEFA Women's Champions League quarter-finals with an emphatic victory against Benfica on Matchday 5, are now aiming to win Group D as they welcome a Häcken side whose own top-two aspirations were ended last time out.

• Les Lyonnaises secured a comfortable success in the reverse fixture on Matchday 1, Melvine Malard (10) scoring the first ever group strike in this inaugural season. Catarina Macario (48) and a Stine Larsen own goal (53) rounded off the scoring.

• Les Fenottes are among four sides, along with Barcelona, Bayern and Paris, to have won all their home group matches; Häcken's only Group D success came on their travels, the 1-0 victory at Benfica on Matchday 3.

• Lyon will win the group if they beat Häcken, or if Bayern fail to beat Benfica. If Bayern win and Lyon draw, they will be split for first place on overall goal difference.

Ones to watch: Lyon

Delphine Cascarino
• The 24-year-old supplied the crosses for both of Ada Hegerberg's goals in the 5-0 victory against Benfica on Matchday 5.

• The midfielder, who made her Lyon debut in March 2015, has won this competition on five occasions, featuring in Les Fenottes' last three final triumphs.

• The French international was a part of two successful Les Bleues youth sides, winning the FIFA Women's U-17 World Cup in 2012 and the UEFA European Women's Under-19 Championship four years later.

• Cascarino's twin sister Estelle is a former Lyon defender who joined Paris Saint-Germain in July having had spells with Paris FC and Bordeaux.

Ada Hegerberg
• The 26-year-old scored two headers against Benfica on 9 December – her first European goals since October 2019.

• Hegerberg, whose total of 55 UEFA Women's Champions League goals is more than any other player (55), has 14 in her last ten appearances in the competition.

• The forward made her comeback from serious injury as a 78th-minute substitute in the Matchday 1 victory in Gothenburg, her first appearance for 625 days due to an ACL rupture and a stress fracture in her left tibia.

• The former Norwegian international scored a hat-trick in the 2019 final triumph against Barcelona, making her only the second player to his three goals in the competition's final after Duisburg's Inka Grings ten years earlier.

Melvine Malard
• The 21-year-old scored the historic first group goal ten minutes into the 3-0 Matchday 1 victory against Häcken on 5 October.

• Malard struck a stunning overhead kick against Benfica nine days later and was one of six players to find the net in the first two matchdays.

• The forward is Les Fenottes' joint top scorer in the UEFA Women's Champions League this term with three goals, including qualifying, level with Catarina Macario.

• All seven of Malard's goals in this competition, qualifying included, have come in her last 13 outings.

Ones to watch: Häcken

Stina Blackstenius
• The 25-year-old striker returned from injury to give her side the lead with a cool finish in the Matchday 5 defeat against Bayern.

• Blackstenius's goal against last season's semi-finalists was her first of the group stage, and came from her eighth shot of the Group D campaign.

• The forward ended the Damallsvenskan season as the division's top scorer with 17 goal, three more than her nearest rival, her total including three hat-tricks.

• The Swedish international spent two years in France with Montpellier (2017–19), finishing as runners-up in Division 1 Féminine behind Lyon in her first campaign.

Jennifer Falk
• The 28-year-old produced a number of first-half stops in her side's Matchday 1 defeat against Lyon.

• Falk has made 27 saves in the group stage, with only three keepers having made more.

• The goalkeeper has been with Häcken since the beginning of the 2016 season after joining from Mallbackens IF, having previously played in Sweden's third and fourth tiers.

• The Swedish international was a promising tennis player in her youth, but was forced to give up the sport due to recurring shoulder injuries.

Stine Larsen
• The 25-year-old supplied the clever pass for Blackstenius' opener against Bayern on Matchday 5, Häcken's first group goal from open play.

• The striker, who scored an own goal on Matchday 1 against Lyon, struck at the right end on her Häcken debut, a 3-1 Damallsvenskan win at Kristianstads on 25 August.

• Larsen joined the club in the summer following a season in England with Women's Super League outfit Aston Villa.

• The Danish international was a UEFA Women's EURO runner-up in 2017, a tournament where she spent the latter stages playing in defence due to injuries.

Key stats

• Lyon have lost only two of their last 39 UEFA Women's Champions League matches.

• The French team have won 19 of their last 21 European matches.

• Lyon have been victorious in 15 of their last 16 home UEFA Women's Champions League games.

• Les Fenottes have only failed to score in one of their last 31 European matches.

• OL have not conceded a goal in their last four UEFA Women's Champions League matches against Swedish clubs.

• Häcken have lost only two of their last ten away matches in all competitions.