Women's Champions League semi-finals: What to look out for in the second legs

Following a pair of fascinating and hard-fought first legs, the two spots in this season's UEFA Women's Champions League final will be decided over the weekend of Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 May as OL Lyonnes host Arsenal and Barcelona welcome Bayern München.

We preview the two returns, with everything still to play for as all four contenders aim to reach the Oslo showpiece on Saturday 23 May.

OL Lyonnes vs Arsenal (first leg: 1-2)

Arsenal came from behind to earn a narrow first-leg lead in London, with an Ingrid Engen own goal and Olivia Smith's third strike in her last five Women's Champions League games cancelling out Jule Brand's solo 19th-minute opener to leave the return delicately poised.

It was OL Lyonnes who won the first leg at Arsenal Stadium at this stage last season, before the Gunners produced a stunning 4-1 away victory a week later to progress to the final on aggregate. This time, though, it is Jonatan Giráldez's charges who will have to chase goals as they aim to prevent a repeat of 12 months ago.

"We did not perform well in the second half when Arsenal started to play a bit more direct, so this is something we will need to improve for the second leg," explained Giráldez. "But we are hopeful for next week. Everything is still possible."

"Last year, we had a tough task and it rallied us together," Arsenal captain Leah Williamson reflected. "I don't think the mentality will be too different. OL are giants of European football and have a great crowd like we do, so an intensity that matches that occasion will be key. We have to be really clinical, defensively secure and... we'll see."

Key stats

• OL's first-leg defeat was just their second in this season's competition so far (W6 D1).
• Captain Wendie Renard has now made 25 appearances in UEFA women's club competition semi-finals – six more than the next player, Alexandra Popp (19).
• Arsenal's win in the first leg was the first time they had managed to beat OL at home, having lost all five of the previous matches played between the teams in England.
• Gunners midfielder Frida Maanum made her 50th Women's Champions League appearance for her club in the first leg.

Barcelona vs Bayern München (first leg: 1-1)

It's all up for grabs in Barcelona after these two sides drew an intriguing first leg 1-1 in Bavaria. Things had initially looked ominous for Bayern after Ewa Pajor gave the hosts an early lead with a typical poacher's finish for her eighth goal of the campaign, making her the competition's joint-top scorer.

However, José Barcala's side didn't let their heads drop and got their reward 21 minutes from time when Franziska Kett finished off a superb team move to equalise. Bayern then survived the climax with one player fewer than their opponents after Kett was sent off ten minutes later.

Barcelona have won 31 of their last 33 Women's Champions League games at home (D1 L1), and coach Pere Romeu urged the fans to play their part at the Camp Nou to roar their team on to a record sixth successive final. "Our fans always give us incredible support," he said. "And this time we'll need them even more. With our people behind us, we'll have that extra energy we need for the second leg."

For his part, Barcala saw enough in the first leg to believe his team can cause an upset in his native Spain and progress to make their maiden appearance in the showpiece. "We have to keep believing in ourselves now," he insisted. "I'm so proud of the players; they execute every game plan we give them."

Key stats

• Barça have won all four home games in this competition so far this season, scoring a total of 19 goals.
• Pajor is now joint-tenth on the list of all-time top scorers in UEFA women's club competitions with a total of 41 goals.
• Bayern are 28 games unbeaten in all competitions since their loss at Barcelona on 7 October.
• The German club's Klara Bühl has created more assists than any other player so far in this season's competition, with a total of eight.