The record champions visit St. Pölten
The record champions visit St. Pölten
Domestic championship, cup, Supercup and Champions League – Olympique Lyon is the record winner in all of these categories. Thursday there will be a direct duel with the she-wolves in the NV Arena.
The SKN Women's bitter 0-1 loss in Mlada Boleslav against Slavia Prague was still weighing on the Wolves' bones the day after the game. In addition, the defeat in Jungblunzau extinguished the SKN's last spark in terms of promotion hopes. But with every preparation session for the duel against Olympique Lyon, the anticipation replaced the disappointment about the elimination. “A highlight game! Not just for us, but also for our fans and the entire club,” enthuses SKN captain Jennifer Klein.
French women come to St. Pölten with a sense of achievement.
Their opponents Lyon are an absolute house number in European women's football. Eight Champions League titles, 16 national championships, ten cup victories and three Super Cup victories – all record values! Coach Sonia Bompastor's team, which as a player scored 4-0 in Lyon's 8-0 win against Neulengbach in 2008, is a true world selection of the best kickers. Wendie Renard, Ada Hegerberg, Daniëlle van de Donk and Lindsey Horan, to name just a few. But after the 2-2 draw against Brann, the Lyonnais failed to finish the group phase without losing points in the third year. Ada Hegerberg and Co. come to Lower Austria with a lot of tailwind thanks to a 2-1 win against Montpellier. “St. Pölten defended well in Lyon and shone with numerous saves from the goalkeeper,” said Bompastor, praising the SKN’s performance in the first leg.
Why not a surprise this time too?
“However, we know our class and want to present our best side against Lyon. We recently took a close look at our opponents through video study and, with our fans behind us, we want to annoy Lyon for as long as possible,” said coach Liese Brancao. The Brazilian met her counterpart Sonia Bompastor as a player in 2008 with Neulengbach. At that time, both players faced each other, and on Thursday they will meet on the sidelines in the NV Arena. And SKN captain Jennier Klein wants to build on the performance of the She-Wolves in France: “We want to annoy Lyon as well and for as long as we can. We showed in France that we can do this. Why not this time too?”
UEFA Women's Champions League 2023/24 - Group stage
Thursday, January 25th, 2024/9 p.m. - Venue: NV Arena, St. Pölten
SKN St. Pölten Women - Olympique Lyon (France)
Live on DAZN
Tickets via ticketmaster.at
