AS YET, no club side has managed to win both the men’s and women’s Champions League trophies but this season three of the last four teams remaining in the women’s tournament are former European champions in the men’s game.

The problem for Barcelona, Bayern and Chelsea is that the fourth team are all-conquering Olympique Lyonnais, the only five-time winners of the women’s Champions League and going for a fourth successive European title, something that has not been achieved in the game since Real Madrid won the first five men’s European Cups at the dawn of inter-continental club competition over half a century ago.

Four-and-a-half years have passed since Lyon were last eliminated from the tournament but ahead of their semi-final first leg against them at the Groupama Stadium, venue of this summer’s World Cup final, Chelsea manager Emma Hayes would not be losing any sleep over the prospect.