VfL Wolfsburg vs OL Lyonnes
As both sides prepare to face each other for the 12th and 13th time since 2011, they may want to look back to their 11th meeting back in November when OL came out 3-1 winners.
OL Lyonnes
Lyonnes is currently on an impressive 33-game (2 draws) unbeaten streak spanning back to April 2025. With the appointment of Jonatan Giráldez, they have one of the premier coaches who’s looking to end the club’s longest period without a European Trophy (four years). The two-time Champions League winner Giráldez guided OL to five wins and a draw in the group phase, placing them second and level on 16 points with Barcelona.
Lyonnes only blip came on Matchday 4, where they conceded three first-half to Juventus. But they bounced back in the second half, with Chawinga, Katoto and Renard all scoring within thirty minutes to salvage a point.
OL recently won their first (domestic) trophy of the season, beating PSG in the Coupe de la Ligue in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
VfL Wolfsburg
Wolfsburg appointed Stephan Lerch as manager for the second time on July 1, 2025. He previously managed the club between 2017 and 2021, where they won the Bundesliga all four years. Lerch’s appointment is clearly an attempt to return the Shewolves to their glory days.
Domestically, Wolfsburg sit in second place, but are eleven points behind their rivals Bayern Munich. On the continent, the club has had inconsistencies. They drew and won three of their League Phase matchups, and had to advance via the play-off round.
The German side got past Juventus, defeating the Italians 4-2 over two legs. In the first, Wolfsburg found themselves 2-0 down at home and struggling to break down their opponents. Lerch made until a triple change in the second half and tweaked the formation. This ultimately led to a 2-2 draw courtesy of Janina Minge’s penalty and a strike from full-back Sarai Linder.
Wolfsburg sat deep in the reverse leg, allowing Juventus twenty-six shots. Goalkeeper Stina Johannes rightfully earned player of the match honors with her nine saves. Lerch’s team devastated on the break, the first move only requiring five passes to go from one box to the other. The second only required two, as Caitlin Dijkstra’s long pass cut above a tired Juventus, was taken down by a unmarked Kessya Bussy, and excellently finished off by Cora Zicai.
Facts:
This will the 12th WCL meeting between them since 2011.
These two clubs have played a combined 17 Champions League finals.
Arsenal vs Chelsea
Kickoff: March 24 @ 4:00pm ET / 1:00pm PT
Emirates Stadium, London, England
Both teams will be without multiple key players due to the ongoing Asia Cup.
Arsenal: Steph Catley, Kyra Cooney-Cross, Caitlin Foord
Chelsea: Ellie Carpenter, Sam Kerr
Chelsea
The all-London duel is set to be probably the most even contest of all the ties. The two meetings in the WSL this season read 1-1 and 2-0 to Arsenal. Although the Gunners have had success over Chelsea this season, the head-to-head record still reads in Chelsea’s favor (five wins to three). Between October and December, Chelsea’s form has been patchy at times; most acutely following draws to Barcelona, a struggling Liverpool and defeat to Everton in three consecutive games. Since then, Chelsea has returned to top form, barring the defeat to Arsenal and a heavy defeat to Manchester City. Chelsea has just retained the League Cup after beating Manchester United 2-0.
In the WCL group phase Chelsea finished third, only conceding three goals. Their draw against FC Twente came as a big shock on Matchday 1, but they recovered quickly, comfortably beating Paris FC, Roma and St. Pölten . Chelsea were impressive against Barcelona at Stamford Bridge as they largely managed to keep their attack at bay while scoring a well-worked goal for themselves.
Arsenal
Arsenal started the season slowly, failing to win seven of their first twelve games. Since then, the Gunners have only lost twice and have become much more fluid in attack as Mariona adapted to a deeper role. The change in personnel allows Champions League top scorer Alessia Russo (7) to drift more in the wide spaces, giving either Frida Maanum/Stina Blackstenius and Olivia Smith license to attack the box. The defensive line has also settled after much rotation in the early months due to injuries.
Arsenal have added to their title list by becoming World Champions after defeating Corinthians in a nervy Women’s Champions Cup final earlier this month
Surprisingly, the current title holders finished outside of the top four automatic qualification spots by virtue of losing on Matchdays 1 and 3 to OL Lyonnes and Bayern Munich respectively. The game in Munich particularly stung as Arsenal squandered a two-goal lead in nineteen minutes. Four wins from six, though, were enough to grant them a play-off tie against OH Leuven, who were comfortably dispatched 7-1 on aggregate.
Fact:
Arsenal and Chelsea have never played each other in a European tie.
