Champions League: Lyon is Benfica's opponent

DRAW

Benfica's women's football team will face Lyon in the Champion League quarterfinals. The opponent was announced on Tuesday, February 6, after the draw was made in Nyon, Switzerland. The tie kicks off on March 19 (8 pm) at the Estádio da Luz.

Present for the first time at this stage of the competition, as a result of the nine points won in Group A, which included European champions Barcelona, Rosengard and Eintracht Frankfurt - two wins and three draws - the Inspiradoras will play the first leg of the quarter-finals at home in the Cathedral on March 19. The second leg, in Lyon, will be played on March 27 (5:45 pm).

If the Reds beat the French club, they will face the winner of the tie between Häcken and PSG in the semi-finals, scheduled for April.

Benfica and Lyon have already met on two occasions, during the Champions League group stage in 2021/22. The French women, who have won eight European titles, won both matches.

In this edition, Lyon finished Group B in 1st place with 14 points. They won four and drew two in a group that included Brann, Slavia Prague and St. Pölten.

"WE'RE EXPECTING TWO VERY GOOD GAMES"

Reacting to the draw, Luís Batista pointed out that Lyon have "a lot of tradition" in this competition. "Winners of eight Champions Leagues and many French championships, they're a powerful team," said the Eagles' team manager, speaking to BTV.

"We're expecting two very good games. They certainly won't be much less than the game we played against Barcelona [4-4]. We're among the eight best teams in Europe and Benfica's ambition is to be in the top four", stated Luís Batista.

"As much tradition as Lyon have, we've grown as a team because of all these international appearances in recent years. I think it'll be more interesting, it'll be different," admitted the Reds' team manager about the clash with the team coached by Portuguese descendant Sonia Bompastor, who was "very happy to face a Portuguese team" in this stage.

In their fourth straight appearance in European competition, and third in a row in the group stage, the three-time national champions have already made history, being the first Portuguese team to secure a place among the eight best teams on the Old Continent.

This is also reflected in their rise in the UEFA rankings: Benfica are in 11th place.