the Lyonnaises are recovering, hopes for the Parisiennes… what you need to know about the group stage which begins on Tuesday

A smooth start? The entry of French clubs into the Women’s Champions League seems affordable with the trips of Lyon to Slavia Prague, Tuesday November 14, and Paris Saint-Germain to Ajax Amsterdam, Wednesday, while Paris FC will host Häcken. The opportunity to take stock of the three French representatives.

Lyonnaises still on the front line

With a dizzying pedigree – record titles (eight, including five in a row), number of matches won (101 since 2002) and number of goals scored (452 ​​compared to 301 for Arsenal) – the Lyonnaises are still favorites. Spoiled by the draw – Slavia Prague (Czech Republic), Sankt Pölten (Austria) and Brann (Norway) – they should come out of group B without any problem. After an undefeated season in D1, the Rhodaniennes, 16 times champions in the Hexagon, do not hide their ambitions.

Being favorite when you are OL is quite logical. We are a club that displays its ambitions. (…) We start each match to win them.

Sonia Bompastor, OL coach

Press conference

Led by Ada Hegerberg, Eugénie Le Sommer, and Kadidiatou Diani, the Fenottes hope to overcome the disappointment of last season, where they lost in the quarter-finals against Chelsea (4-3 on penalties). “We know the road is long but we aim to go far, and it starts tomorrow at 9 p.m.“, supported captain Wendie Renard, at a press conference. They travel to Prague on November 15 against Slavia, a team they dominated 9-1 during the quarter-finals in 2016. Smooth start to the season, but “the truth is happening on the ground” recalls the French international.

A high caliber group for Paris FC

Unlike the Lyonnaises, the Paris FC players are neither regulars in the competition, nor in a lenient group. They will have their first season at the top of the European leagues as Paris FC, having lost under the name of Juvisy against OL in the 2013 semi-finals. Authors of two “big” blows in the qualifying phase, against Wolfsburg and Arsenal, they will have to surpass themselves again. They inherited in the draw Real Madrid, second in Liga F, and Chelsea, automatically qualified for the group stage thanks to their domination in the Women’s Super League. If the PFC can count on players such as Julie Dufour, second scorer in the preliminary phases, they will have to extend their exploits to get out of this group D.

Their first match, Wednesday November 15 in Paris, against Häcken, reigning champion of the Swedish League, will set the tone before welcoming the Madrid and English colossi.

Nothing impossible for Parisians

Eternal second, often eclipsed by their Lyon rivals against whom they lost in the final in 2017, the PSG girls have never experienced the European coronation. If they had a brilliant season in D1, undefeated except against OL, they were scared against Manchester United in qualifying away (1-1) before catching up (3-1) at home. They enter the competition against Ajax Amsterdam, the first Dutch team to reach the group stage of the Champions League.

The rest of the group risks being more difficult for Jocelyn Prêcheur’s daughters: AS Rome and above all, Bayern Munich. PSG nevertheless has the most impressive record in Group C, with two contested finals, compared to none for each of its opponents. For the third time in a row, PSG players return to the group stage, a crucial stage on the way to the finals which will take place on May 25, 2024 in Bilbao.