After coming off of a 2-2 draw to Slavia Praha in the UEFA Women’s Champions League Group Stage, the Olympique Lyon Féminin return for their D1 Arkema match against Stade de Reims. Lyon is currently number one in the regular season standings with 39 points and is undefeated. However, when it comes to Stade de Reims, this isn’t a team Lyon should take lightly. Stade de Reims is currently ranked fourth in the regular season standings as of February 2, 2024, and is coming off of a 1-0 win against Guingamp.

A takeaway from Lyon’s last match against Slavia Praha could be the importance of connecting and finishing your chances, because you may not get a lot of them, especially if the opposing team’s backline and defense is compact and hard to break through.

When it came to the match against Slavia Praha, Lyon’s performance was disappointing. At times, Lyon was struggling to connect in the attack and couldn’t put away their chances despite having many of them in the second half. Lyon has strong finishers, such as Ada Hegerberg, Amel Majri, Lindsey Horan, Daniëlle van de Donk and Sara Däbritz, to name a few, however, rebounded balls and volleys are areas that may need more improvement.

Additionally, Lyon needs to work on responding better to opposing teams’ transitions and counterattacks. This pertains to the midfield and backline, where there needs to be a balance between offensive and defensive play, along with better awareness from the team. The backline also needs to watch out for balls and passes behind the backline. Long balls, through balls, and runners behind the Lyon backline appear to be a weak point for this team. A lack of awareness will be punished by an opposing team, in this case Stade de Reims.

Stade de Reims may put up a decent fight against Lyon. Lyon will most likely have the most possession and control in this match; they will be able to get their attack off and create plenty of crosses and services down the wings, courtesy of Selma Bacha, Kadidiatou Diani, Perle Morroni, or Ellie Carpenter. However, the Stade de Reims’ defense and backline might pose a challenge for Lyon, similar to the backlines of Slavia Praha and Montpellier. Lyon can come away with a win and a high scoreline, provided that they can connect where it counts and finish their chances.