FAMILIARITY will not produce contempt when Lyon face Wolfsburg in tonight’s Champions League final at the Anoeta Stadium in San Sebastian. The holders have got the better of the German champions in each of the last four tournaments, including the 2016 and 2018 finals.
In these bizarre times it is almost a home game for Wolfsburg. They beat Glasgow City and Barcelona at tonight’s venue, while Lyon ousted Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain in nearby Bilbao.
The two clubs have dominated the Champions League for the past 10 years, with Lyon bidding for their fifth successive title, and seventh since 2011. Wolfsburg won in 2013 and 2014.
The Germans, having dismantled Glasgow City in the quarter-finals, might have lost to Barcelona in the semis had the Catalans possessed a composed striker. It was, so far at least, the game of the mini-tournament.
The 1-0 win means Pernille Harder, who notched four against City, has the opportunity to be outright tournament top scorer if she can find the net twice. She is on nine goals, one behind Arsenal’s Vivianne Miedema.
The Dane was also top scorer in last year’s competition. It is an accolade which went to Julie Fleeting when she was at Arsenal in 2006-07 – her nine goals helping the London club, who were disappointing in losing 2-1 to PSG eight nights ago, land the tournament.
That was the last season in which a non-German or French club has won Europe’s premier competition. It demonstrates that, despite the progress being made in Spain and England, a gap still exists between the best and the rest.
Lyon’s last competitive defeat was in May 2018, when they lost the French Cup final to PSG. They were efficient rather than imposing in the semi-final between the clubs on Wednesday night, and will be without Nikita Parris against Wolfsburg.
The England striker’s second yellow card 15 minutes from time, for a nonsensical foul on PSG goalkeeper Christiane Endler, has left her suspended.
HIBERNIAN general manager Stewart McGuire believes his side will remain competitive despite the threat posed by the fully professional Rangers squad and Celtic also upping their game.
The women’s team are now under the auspices of a new company with their own board of directors. Ten players, including captain Joelle Murray, signed extended 18-24 month part-time contracts on Tuesday, while recent recruit from Sunderland, Charlotte Potts, is also contracted for a similar period.
Potts was a central defender at her previous club, but McGuire says head coach Dean Gibson will play her as a holding midfielder following the January departure of Chelsea Cornet to Rangers.
“Technically we’ve got some of the best talents in Scotland, but we needed someone with a bit more physicality and strength in that area,” McGuire said. “That’s what Dean’s priority was, and there’s a couple of others we’re looking at as well.”
Cornet is one of five ex-Hibs players in the Rangers squad, with Jenna Fife also taking the direct route from Edinburgh to Glasgow over the winter. The club has been plundered of many top players in recent years, but at least there will now be the compensation of a fee should any of these 11 move on while under contract.
“I can’t wait for our season to start,” said McGuire, who has stepped back from his coaching role. “It’s the first time in recent years we’ve lost players to another Scottish team, but they’re getting professional contracts and I can understand that.
“Rangers and Celtic have raised the bar – but they had quite a low bar to raise. I’ve always been proud of what we’ve done without any money. I still have sleepless nights from two years ago, when I thought we should have won the treble but blew it.
“I have real admiration for what Scott Booth has done at Glasgow City. I wouldn’t write them off in any shape or form. Rangers will be many people’s favourites for the title because of all the money they’ve spent and who they’ve brought in, but we’ll certainly be challenging. All the top teams will take points off each other. Personally I think City are still the team to beat.”
HAVING scored for Scotland against Jamaica at Hampden last year, Erin Cuthbert can now add a goal at Wembley to her list of personal achievements. Despite carrying an injury, the Chelsea midfielder came on late in the game and notched the second goal in yesterday’s 2-0 Community Shield win over Manchester City. Millie Bright got the first.
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