Four Giants, Two Tickets: The battle for Lisbon begins in the UWCL semifinals

The lights are calling for the last two teams to take the central stage at the Estadio José Alvalade in Lisbon to reach club glory. But first, hard battles will be played in the UWCL Semifinals, with old rivalries coming back to life, to determine who will advance to the most important game of the season.  

Arsenal FC vs Olympique Lyonnais 

Date: First leg: Saturday, April 19 | Second leg: Sunday, April 27  
Venue: Arsenal Stadium, London | OL Stadium, Lyon  

PA

With a lot of UWCL history between them, these two teams face each other one more time to add another chapter to their story, with new faces taking on the challenge to represent two of the biggest clubs in Europe.  

Arsenal and Lyon are two of the three top teams that have more play time in the UWCL, having met each other many times. The last time they shared the pitch was the 2022/2023 season in the Group Stage, where the Gunners stunned the eight-time Champions with a 5-0 result in the first leg.  

They will try to recreate that energy, counting on players like Mariona Caldentey and Alessia Russo, who led their comeback against Real Madrid in the Quarterfinals, the English forward being the second top scorer of the season so far with six goals. With new faces on the pitch since the last time they faced Lyon, Arsenal will take the stage, showing top form in their return to the UWCL Semifinals.  

Even though they scored only one goal in the second leg of the Group Stages the last time they faced the North London team, Lyon kept proving why they are the team to beat in women’s football, reaching another final since that last encounter in the 2023/2024 season, and still leaving their all in each match, never giving out the option of leaving them out of the tournament.  

Showing their greatness and delivering incredible games, they have brought in new faces to join their legendary ranks to help them make their mark even bigger. New additions to the roster like Melchie Dumornay, Best Young Player of the 2023/2024 season, and Tabitha Chawinga have already established themselves as important players, joining legends of the team like Ada Hegerberg, Daniëlle van de Donk and Wendie Renard to form one of the most complete and powerful teams in Europe.  

FC Barcelona vs Chelsea FC  

Date: First Leg: Sunday, April 20 | Second Leg: Sunday, April 27 
Venue: Johan Cruyff Stadium, Barcelona | Second Leg: Stamford Bridge, London  

Unnati Naidu/DAZN

We’ve seen this one before, and it never disappoints. A modern UWCL Semifinals classic will take place for the third time as defending champions FC Barcelona face English giants Chelsea to book a ticket to Lisbon.  

The two previous encounters between these two teams have been electric, the most recent one being in the 2023/2024 season, FC Barcelona had to turn things around to reach the final, in which they would win their third UWCL trophy, as Chelsea gave them one of the biggest battles in the tournament, Erin Cuthbert giving them the advantage in the First Leg. However, the Spanish side showed resilience, led by two-time Ballon d’Or Aitana Bonmatí and Game Changer Caroline Graham Hansen, they managed to stunt the Blues at Stamford Bridge, reaching another Final to go on and lift their third UWCL trophy.  

Chelsea, top of the table in their domestic league, arrive at this third battle against the current Champions with one of the most powerful and vast squads in the world, proving they can turn around any situation, coming from behind against Manchester City in the quarterfinals to reach the semis once again. Two of their new additions this season know very well the Blaugrana colours, as Lucy Bronze and Keira Walsh will face their old team for the first time, joining Mayra Ramírez, Sandy Baltimore, Catarina Macario and Millie Bright to try and reach their second ever UWCL Final.  

Defending Champions and three-time winners FC Barcelona know very well what it is to play at the highest of intensity to look for a place in what it would be their third straight UWCL Final. Leaders of their national competition, their quarterfinal run against Wolfsburg showed the world their dominance is still very present, having captain Alexia Putellas back in full form to push the team to excellence. Patricia Guijarro, the comeback legend and MVP of the 2022/2023 Final, will also have the spotlight, as she has carried the FC Barcelona game, having five assists so far, controlling and opening spaces to give her team the chance to keep writing more history.  

Everything to play for, the spots for the 2024/2025 UEFA Women’s Champions League finals are up for grabs, with fans from all over the world waiting to see who will be the team that lift the Champions trophy under the Lisbon sky. 

Watch every game of the Semifinals of the UEFA Women's Champions League live for free on DAZN.