AUDIO: Champions League: Will Wolfsburg also celebrate in Lyon? (1 min)
As of: November 11, 2025 8:19 a.m
The VfL Wolfsburg footballers will play against OL Lyonnes in the Champions League this evening. After the bitter 2-3 defeat in the Bundesliga top game against Eintracht Frankfurt, the Lower Saxony team want to show a defiant reaction to the French series champions. But the numbers speak for Lyon.
It will be the eleventh time that both clubs meet in the premier class. The duel between the “Wolfs” and the representatives from Division 1 Féminine is a true Champions League classic, especially since both clubs also faced each other in the final four times. The star ensemble from the south-east of France came out on top three times.
And because the last six comparisons all went to the 18-time champions, the Lower Saxony women are clear outsiders against the French women, who are still unbeaten in all competitions, at the Groupama Stadium this evening (9 p.m.).
Popp hopes for a defiant reaction in France
“We are not the favorites,” said VfL attacker Alexandra Popp soberly. The 34-year-old, who was in the starting line-up for both of Wolfsburg’s Champions League triumphs (2013 and 2014), is aware that it will take an extraordinary performance to be able to beat the eight-time “premier league” winner.
“We have to throw ourselves into everything and try to take away the fun of the game and put the needle on ourselves,” said the former national player. Popp relies on the “anger in the stomach” factor in the “Annoy Lyon” mission.
Because the unnecessary 2-3 defeat on Saturday in the top Bundesliga game against Eintracht Frankfurt caused a lot of frustration among the “Wolves”, which should ideally be dissipated in France. “We can show that we are still there,” said Popp, who missed an unusually large number of good chances against the Hessians.
“She-wolves” can perform freely
The negligent handling of scoring opportunities was accompanied by hair-raising mistakes in defense against Frankfurt, who had to play outnumbered for over half after being sent off. So there is a lot of room for improvement at VfL. It is possible that the team that was newly formed in the summer and is still maturing at this point will benefit from its role as outsiders.
“We don’t feel a lot of pressure.”
Wolfsburg’s coach Stephan Lerch
“We can play freely. We don’t feel a lot of pressure now,” said coach Stephan Lerch. The 41-year-old also draws his optimism from the first two games of this premier class season against Paris Saint-Germain (4:0) and Vålerenga Fotball (2:1): “We got off to a good start and now we want to take this feeling with us and act courageously.”
Lerch sees Lyon as the favorite. He sees “enormous quality” in the “top squad” of the record winners from France. That’s why we know that we have to work together very well on defense and that we have to defend very passionately.
Reunion with former Wolfsburg resident Jule Brand
In the group stage of last season’s Champions League, Wolfsburg lost to France’s top team 0-2 and 0-1. At that time, national player Jule Brand still wore the VfL jersey. The attacker is now playing for OL Lyonnes and is looking forward to the duel with her former club. “I had a wonderful three years there. It’s nice to see familiar faces again,” said the 23-year-old.
“Wolfsburg is more like a small village.”
Lyon attacker Jule Brand about her former place of work
Brand can look forward to lots of hugs – but then the warmth is over. “It will be nice to see them again. But,” added VfL striker Lineth Beerensteyn, “we are not friends” on match day.
The new life in France was a big change for Brand, and not just in terms of sport. “It’s definitely a big difference from the city. Wolfsburg is more like a small village,” said the Palatinate native: “Now a little more is happening, there’s more going on.”
The French language remains a challenge, but otherwise the offensive player can only say good things about her new club: “The team has made it very easy for me to feel comfortable here, it’s fun.”
