Lyon vs Arsenal: Match facts, previous meetings, key players
Tuesday, October 11, 2022
Article summary
All you need to know ahead of the UEFA Women's Champions League Group C opener.
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Reigning champions Lyon begin their latest defence of their UEFA Women's Champions League title against 2006/07 winners Arsenal.
The Division 1 Féminine outfit, who extended their record trophy haul in this competition to eight last season with a 3-1 final success against Barcelona in Turin, come up against the Gunners for the first time since 2010/11, when they prevailed in the semi-finals en route to lifting their first European title.
Les Fenottes triumphed 5-2 on aggregate in April 2011 (2-0 h, 3-2 a), Jordan Nobbs and Jen Beattie featuring in both legs for the Gunners; current Arsenal skipper Kim Little started the first-leg defeat in Lyon. Wendie Renard, Amandine Henry and Eugénie Le Sommer all featured in both matches, whilst current Lyon coach Sonia Bompastor was in the starting XI for the French side in the away leg.
Lyon have won their last four meetings against the Londoners since a 0-0 draw in France in the quarter-final first leg in November 2007; they would go on to eliminate then-holders Arsenal with a 3-2 win in Borehamwood the following week.
In addition to UEFA Women's Champions League success last term, Bompastor guided Lyon to their 15th league title in 16 seasons, finishing 11 points clear of nearest rivals Paris Saint-Germain.
Arsenal, who lost out on a first FA Women’s Super League title since 2019 by a point to Chelsea last term, reached a competition record 14th quarter-final last season, where they were eliminated 3-1 on aggregate by Wolfsburg (1-1 h, 0-2 a).
The Gunners confirmed their group stage place with a narrow Round 2 victory against last season's Eredivisie runners-up Ajax, triumphing 1-0 in Duivendrecht after a 2-2 home first-leg draw.
Players to watch
Daniëlle van de Donk
The 31-year-old spent almost six years with Arsenal before moving to Lyon in the summer of 2021.
Van de Donk joined the north London outfit from Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC in November 2015, going on to score 28 goals in 96 league appearances for the Gunners.
Only Vivianne Miedema (22) scored more league goals for Arsenal than Van de Donk's 11 in their successful Women's Super League campaign of 2018/19.
The midfielder won three trophies during her six years with the English side, also lifting the FA Women's Cup in 2015/16 and the FA Women's Super League Cup two years later.
She scored a hat-trick in Arsenal's 8-0 second-leg win at home to Slavia Praha in the last 16 of this competition in October 2019.
Van de Donk returned to Lyon action in June 2022 with her first appearance in over six months in an injury-hit first season with the club.
Vivianne Miedema
The 26-year-old scored Arsenal's win at Ajax in the second leg of their Round 2 qualifying tie on 28 September.
Four days earlier the forward had hit her first goals of the season with a double in the 4-0 win against north London rivals Tottenham.
The Netherlands international is in her sixth season with the Gunners after joining from Bayern in 2017, and committed her future to club with a new deal in May 2022.
Miedema was Arsenal's leading scorer in the UEFA Women's Champions League last season with seven goals, including a hat-trick in the 4-0 qualifying victory against Slavia Praha in September 2021.
The striker has been joint-top scorer in two campaigns in this competition, hitting eight goals for Bayern in 2016/17 and ten for Arsenal in 2019/20.
Only Chelsea's Sam Kerr (20) scored more Super League goals last season than Miedema's 14; the Dutchwoman also supplied a joint-high eight assists in the division.
Key facts
Lyon have won four and drawn one of their previous five European matches against Arsenal.
Lyon have lost only three of their last 45 UEFA Women's Champions League matches (W39 D3) and have only failed to score in one of their last 37 games in the competition.
OL have won 18 of their last 19 UEFA Women's Champions League home games. They lost the other, 2-1 at home to Paris Saint-Germain in the 2020/21 quarter-finals.
Lyon have not drawn any of their last 27 UEFA Women's Champions League matches (W24 L3), since a 1-1 draw at Chelsea in the 2018/19 semi-final second leg.
The French club have lost only one of their previous 11 UEFA Women's Champions League matches against English clubs (W7 D3).
Arsenal are without a win in eight previous European matches against French opposition (D2 L6).
There was an average of 4.5 goals per game in Arsenal's 2021/22 UEFA Women's Champions League group stage campaign; 27 goals in six matches.