OL Lyonnes vs Arsenal Women's Champions League semi-final second leg preview: Where to watch, full lowdown

OL Lyonnes and Arsenal meet in their UEFA Women's Champions League semi-final second leg on Saturday 2 May at OL Stadium, with the visitors leading 2-1 from the first leg.

What do you need to know?

Last year when these sides met at this stage, OL held a 2-1 lead from the first leg. This time Arsenal have that advantage following their second-half comeback last Sunday, as the holders seek to eliminate the eight-time champions in the semi-finals for the second year running.

Twelve months ago Arsenal secured a stunning 4-1 victory at OL Stadium to reach the final for only the second time. In the history of these teams' European encounters, the Gunners have tended to perform better in France than they have in London. Arsenal coach Renée Slegers has said she is confident of having Chloe Kelly available after missing the first leg, but Beth Mead and Steph Catley remain doubtful.

OL coach Jonatan Giráldez conceded that Arsenal "were the better team" in the first leg, though his players have already overturned a deficit in this knockout phase, beating Wolfsburg in the quarter-finals despite opening with a 1-0 away defeat. Melchie Dumornay, scorer of both OL goals in their 2-1 Matchday 1 win at Arsenal, and Selma Bacha were both unable to come off the bench in London, but Giráldez said he expects them to feature on Saturday.

Predicted line-ups

OL Lyonnes: Endler; Lawrence, Renard, Engen, Svava; Shrader, Heaps, Yohannes; Diani, Hegerberg, Brand
Out: Joseph (knee)
Doubtful: Dumornay (unspecified), Bacha (unspecified), Micah (concussion)

Arsenal: Van Domselaar; Fox, Williamson, Wubben-Moy, McCabe; Little, Caldentey; Smith, Russo, Foord; Blackstenius
Out: Cooney-Cross (personal reasons), Reid (knee)
Doubtful: Kelly (muscular), Mead (personal reasons)

Form guide

OL Lyonnes
Last six games: DLWWWD
Last match: Nantes 1-1 OL Lyonnes, 29/04, Première Ligue
Where they stand: 1st in Première Ligue regular season, French Cup final, French League Cup winners

Arsenal
Last six games: WWLLWW
Last match: Arsenal 7-0 Leicester City, 29/04, Women's Super League
Where they stand: 3rd in Women's Super League

View from the camps

Jonatan Giráldez, OL Lyonnes coach: "I'm happy with the first half [of the first leg], but we did not perform well in the second half when they started to play a bit more direct, so this is something we will need to improve for the second leg. We are hopeful.

"[We need to improve our] consistency. We need to maintain this high level over 90 minutes and [in the first leg] we had good moments but we lost out in some other situations. Everything is still possible."

Renée Slegers, Arsenal coach: "I'm happy with the [first-leg] result, but nothing is won yet. It's only half-time and we know how good OL Lyonnes are, so we need to put a really good plan together for the second leg."

Ada Hegerberg, OL Lyonnes forward: "There are things to work on, but I'm still optimistic. We've always got to be positive; we have a huge chance at home in front of our crowd. We've got to switch our minds quickly and be optimistic that we can turn this around.

"This is a tough, tough level and you meet great teams, but we shouldn't lose confidence in ourselves. We turned it around in the quarters [after losing the first leg at Wolfsburg] and we know what we're capable of, but it's going to take a lot of work and some analysing."

Alessia Russo, Arsenal forward: "It's good to win at home in front of our fans but we know it's far from done. We've got to go to Lyon – a really tough place to go – and it's a game of two legs, everyone knows that. We're happy but it means nothing for now."

Reporter's view

Zacharie Adjemien, match reporter

The first leg in London delivered the intensity and momentum shifts expected from two European heavyweights, and the return fixture in Lyon offers another finely-poised contest. OL Lyonnes have shown their ability to respond under pressure in this competition, particularly on home soil, while Arsenal arrive with a valuable advantage and growing confidence. Last season’s turnaround between these sides remains a reminder that nothing is settled. With so little separating them, the tie may ultimately be decided by who handles the defining moments best.

Where is the 2026 UEFA Women's Champions League final being played?

UEFA via Getty Images

Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo, Norway, will host the 2026 UEFA Women's Champions League final on Saturday 23 May.

The final will be the first UEFA women's club decider to be played in Norway, although Ullevaal – opened in 1926 and renovated on several occasions since – staged the UEFA Women's EURO final in both 1987 and 1997. It is the regular home of the Norway women's and men's national teams. The 2016 men's UEFA Super Cup was also held in Norway, in Trondheim.