UEFA Women's Champions League: Players to watch in the semi-final first legs

The UEFA Women's Champions League semi-finals begin when Barcelona host Wolfsburg on Friday and Lyon take on Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday.

We pick out four players who could help their teams move to within sight of the Turin final. 

Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona)

Barcelona return to the Camp Nou for Friday's first leg against Wolfsburg for another sold-out night after the quarter-final defeat of Real Madrid. Lifelong fan Aitana Bonmatí, who admitted: "When I went down to the pitch I had to hold back my tears because the emotions were brutal," shone that night with a crucial finish to equalise on the night when an unlikely Madrid comeback looked possible.

But then the wide midfielder is at her best on the big occasion, as her Player of the Match display against Chelsea in last May's final proves. A complete game with her ball skills, passing, tackling and finshing.

Alex Popp (Wolfsburg)

Popp's return to competitive action after more than ten months out in early March was a huge boost to Wolfsburg, especially after an January comeback from her knee injury was aborted. The sheer range of the roles that the defender-turned-forward-turned all-rounder midfielder can fill for Wolfsburg is matches only by her leadership qualities.

A two-time European champion in her decade with Wolfsburg, as well as in 2009 at Duisburg, her last-eight appearances against Arsenal have taken Popp's career UEFA club competition tally to 83; she is now outright second in the all-time rankings behind her rival in several finals, Wendie Renard.

Delphine Cascarino (Lyon)

The player with the fastest top speed in the competition at 31.4 km/h, and perhaps the most devastatingly effective in a one-on-one dribble. Winger Cascarino is so often the instigator in the Lyon attacks from which Ada Hegerberg, Melvine Malard and Catarina Macario are so prolific.

A Lyon youth product now in her prime as they seek to take their success into a new generation. Might even end up facing off with twin Estelle, a Paris defender.

Kadidiatou Diani (Paris Saint-Germain)

Paris have their own right-sided France attacker who no defender wants to see fast approaching. Diani has already scored against Lyon this season, in the 3-0 French Cup win in January, though it is her understanding with the even more prolific Marie-Antoinette Katoto that makes the Paris attack so effective.

Voted the league's player of the season last year as Paris dethroned Lyon, the injury that kept Diani out of the semi-final against Barcelona proved a huge blow. Beaten in the semis by Lyon with Paris in 2020 and Juvisy (now Paris FC) in 2013, this is Diani's chance to reverse those fortunes.