Arsenal Women Face Lyon In Champions League Semi-Final 2026 As Slegers States Everything Is Different

Arsenal travel to Lyon for the Women's Champions League semi-final second leg holding a 2-1 advantage, after overturning an early deficit in London. That first-leg comeback left the holders close to another final, yet Renee Slegers stresses that Arsenal must treat this tie as a fresh contest.

The opening game at Emirates Stadium saw Lyon strike first through Jule Brand, before Arsenal responded. A Christine Endler own goal levelled the score, then Olivia Smith completed the turnaround, putting Arsenal in front ahead of the return match at Groupama Stadium, where last season brought major memories.

These clubs also met at the same stage last season, but the pattern was reversed. Arsenal entered that second leg in France trailing 2-1 from the first meeting at Emirates, then produced a 4-1 away victory, which carried the side through before a later triumph over Barcelona in the final.

Asked if those events could guide Arsenal this time, Slegers dismissed direct parallels and underlined the need for renewed focus. "It's very simple, I think you can't compare the two occasions," she said. "Everything is different this year; the scenario is different as well. Last time we were 2-1 down, now we're 2-1 up, so everything is different. We have to earn the right again from the very start, so I don't compare the two occasions. Yes, we've been to the city, yes, I recognise this hall and the pitch, that will be there, but we have to start all over again."

Arsenal aim to become the first English club to reach the Women's Champions League final in back-to-back seasons. No other English team has managed multiple appearances in the final, with the previous runs limited to Arsenal in 2006-07 and Chelsea in 2020-21, in addition to Arsenal's campaign last year.

The holders also defend a strong record at this stage of the competition. The reigning champions have not exited in the semi-finals since 2015-16, when Eintracht Frankfurt were beaten over two legs by Wolfsburg. Every champion to reach the final four since then, seven in total, has gone on to contest the final.

Lyon now attempt to challenge both those patterns at Groupama Stadium, despite a mixed recent run in Europe. Lyon have lost two of the last three Champions League matches, winning the other, which equals the number of defeats from the previous 28 fixtures, where they recorded 23 wins, three draws and two losses.

Home form remains a major strength for Lyon, though last season's semi-final showed vulnerability. Lyon have taken victory in 10 of the last 11 European home games, yet the remaining fixture in that sequence was the 4-1 defeat to Arsenal in the previous semi-final second leg, which transformed that tie in dramatic fashion.

Arsenal Lyon Champions League semi-final tactical approach

The French side can still draw confidence from this season's earlier meeting in England. "We've already beaten Arsenal [2-1 at Meadow Park on Matchday 1]," Lyon head coach Jonatan Giraldez said. "We want to have the possession and apply high pressure. The match dynamic will be different; we'll need to show personality at home. We haven't changed anything this week. The priority is to raise our level, to be attentive to our game plan and to find a better balance. [We need to] improve our attacking level and be superior to the opponent to qualify."

Those comments highlight a clear tactical battle, with Arsenal protecting a narrow lead and Lyon seeking to impose control. The tie now rests on whether Arsenal can repeat last season's clinical performance in France, or whether Lyon's home strength and possession plan overturn the 2-1 deficit from the first leg.