UEFA WOMEN’S CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL – BARCELONA V LYON DAZN PREVIEW

The stage is set for a thrilling showdown as reigning champions Barcelona face off against their long-time adversaries, the formidable Lyon, in the UEFA Women’s Champions League final. The two powerhouses are set to clash in what promises to be a cagey and closely fought encounter.

The match will be available live and FREE on DAZN.com and DAZN platforms

https://bit.ly/uwclfinal

DAZN talent for the English-language broadcast features, Vivianne Miedema, Semra Hunter, and Lianne Sanderson as main pundits, Beth Mead as a guest pundit, Liam Loftus as the DAZN x Visa FanZone reporter and Shebahn Aherne as our on-pitch reporter. This team will be supported by Chris Sharples and Lucy Ward on commentary.

A BATTLE OF EUROPEAN GIANTS

Barcelona, the current title holders, will be looking to defend their crown against an eight-time champion Lyon, who have historically been a nemesis for the Catalan side. The French giants have had the upper hand in their recent meetings, including a 4-1 victory in the 2019 Budapest final and a 3-1 win in the 2022 Turin final. Lyon also knocked Barcelona out of the 2017/18 quarterfinals, which was, in fact, the last time Barça failed to reach at least the semi-finals.

This is Lyon’s 11th final since 2010, highlighting their indomitability in European women’s football. Barcelona, on the other hand, are making their fourth consecutive final appearance and their fifth in six seasons – underlining their recent success in the battle to usurp Lyon and their ubiquity with the UWCL trophy. The holders have won the title twice, defeating Chelsea 4-0 in Gothenburg in 2021 and staging a dramatic comeback to beat Wolfsburg 3-2 in last year’s final in Eindhoven.

ROAD TO THE FINAL

Barcelona cruised through their group stage, maintaining their perfect record of finishing top in all three seasons under the current format. They overcame Brann and then demonstrated their resilience by overturning a 1-0 home loss to Chelsea in the semi-finals with a 2-0 victory at Stamford Bridge. Despite the long-term absence of defender Mapi León, Barcelona’s squad is brimming with confidence. They aim to give coach Jonatan Giráldez, who is set to join Washington Spirit, a memorable send-off by securing a second consecutive Champions League title.

Lyon, under the guidance of Sonia Bompastor, have also been formidable. Bompastor, who made history by winning this competition as both a player and a coach – the only person to achieve the feat – seeks to add another title to her illustrious career. Lyon have navigated their way to the final unbeaten, drawing twice in the group stage but securing victories against Benfica and Paris Saint-Germain in the knockout rounds. In the first leg of their semi-final, their remarkable comeback from a 2-0 deficit against PSG to win 3-2, underscores their never-say-die attitude.

RECENT FORM

Both Barcelona and Lyon  have had impressive domestic and European campaigns this season, both having recently raised the Liga F and D1 Arkema trophies respectively .

Both teams come into the final on the back of recent successes. Lyon defeated PSG 2-1 to clinch the French league play-off final, while Barcelona thrashed Real Sociedad 8-0 to win the Copa de la Reina.

KEY PLAYERS AND DIFFERENCE MAKERS

Lyon’s captain Wendie Renard has been a stalwart, featuring in all ten of Lyon’s previous finals. However, they will be without key players Eugénie Le Sommer and Sara Däbritz due to injuries. The return of Ada Hegerberg, who has scored in four separate finals, boosts their attacking options. Delphine Cascarino, recovering from an ACL injury, is another player to watch, having shown glimpses of her best form recently.

Barcelona, meanwhile, have an abundance of talent. Caroline Graham Hansen has been in scintillating form, leading Liga F in both goals and assists. With support from Ballon d’Or winners Alexia Putellas, Aitana Bonmatí, and young sensation Salma Paralluelo, Barcelona’s attacking prowess is undeniable. They will rely on their fluid, possession-based style to break down Lyon’s defense.

WHAT THE COACHES HAVE TO SAY

Barcelona coach Jonatan Giráldez emphasized the quality of both teams: “For me, Barça and Lyon are the two best teams in Europe, without any doubt, because of the individual quality both teams have. If you analyse player by player, there’s certainly little to choose from.

“It will be a fun final, with two quality starting line-ups and great subs on the bench who can help a lot. Plus, of course, from the sidelines, both Sonia and I will have our tools to try and have an entertaining final, which, hopefully, will favour Barça.”

Lyon’s Sonia Bompastor acknowledged the challenge ahead: “”They [Barcelona] don’t concede too many goals. We know it will be a great challenge for us, and we know they have a lot of experience in this competition but also in the Champions League final itself.

“It will be a tight game and every detail will matter, so it will be up to us to make this game go in our favour. But we expect a very difficult match against a very tough club and a wonderful team.”

WHO EDGES IT?

Lyon’s pedigree in this competition and their psychological edge from previous encounters might make them slight favourites. However, Barcelona’s irresistible style of play and the quality of their squad make them formidable opponents. This final promises to be a tactical masterclass and a showcase of the highest level of women’s football.

DAZN’s PRODUCTION:

17 match coverage camera plan – significant uplift on group stage games. As with last year, the Final will be produced in HD-SDI 1080i50, while the audio production will be full 5.1+2 surround sound production with a Dolby E multichannel audio mix. DAZN unilateral via fibre to BT Tower, and then to DAZN’s production and TX hub in Leeds and then to over 200 countries around the world. Spidercam is also ready to go at the San Mamés – a great example of how suited the stadium is to broadcast.

DAZN x Visa FanZone

Archer will work on preview show airing on Friday and integration of second screen experience DAZN Visa FanZone, available in DAZN countries including Germany, France, Italy, Portugal, Spain. Functionality includes interactive features such as quizzes, live chat, and viewer polls – allowing fans to engage with the content and each other in real-time. These social and interactive elements are designed to add further dimension to the coverage. Audiences will win money can’t buy experiences through interaction with the FanZone including signed shirts, PlayStations, personalised messages from players and more

HOW TO WATCH:

Fans can register and watch for free at DAZN.com or by scanning this QR code.

After acquiring ata football in the summer, DAZN decided to re-evaluate the previous strategy to put games behind a paywall. Instead, now all 2023 Group Stage games will be available for UK fans and other territories worldwide to watch for FREE on DAZN’s platform. There is also more exciting news to come regarding women’s football at DAZN.

If publications are interested in being among the first to hear of DAZN’s ground-breaking work in the women’s football space, please contact alice.vyvyan@dazn.com who will be managing media enquiries and relationships.