“‘We’re gonna play together and do what we need to do to win", OL Lyonnes gears up for semi-final vs Arsenal Women

Arsenal is all set to welcome OL Lyonnes for the first leg

OL Lyonnes are ready to take on the Gunners in the semifinal of the UEFA Women’s Champions League, aiming to settle the score after last season’s heartbreak.

Arsenal will host OL Lyonnes in the first leg of the semifinal on 26th April, Sunday before heading to the second leg of the match. The match holds immense value for both the teams as this can make or break their season and be very crucial for their journey to book their berth in the finals of the UEFA Women’s Champions League.

Ahead of this crucial clash, Khel Now had the opportunity to be a part of the pre match press conference of OL Lyonnes joined by American midfielder Korbin Shrader and Danish wing back Sofie Svava. Let us take a look at what they had to say before their important first leg clash against Arsenal.

Confident ahead of the big clash

When Khel Now asked Korbin Shrader about the impact of their comeback win, where OL Lyonnes bounced back from a goal down in the first leg to score four in the second leg, the American midfielder kept the focus firmly on preparation and team belief.

She highlighted that the squad knows where their strengths lie and is committed to sticking together heading into the next match.

“I think, you know, we know as OL, as our team, we know where we’re confident and where we can lean into. We’re gonna play together, we’re gonna lean into this next match and do what we need to do on the field to win, and that goes to preparing before the match. And everything that comes with that, with, like, preparing, like, on the field and training, and yeah, I think that’s really important, we’re just gonna lean into that, and be prepared for this next match.” said Korbin.

Team over individual improvements

When Khel Now asked Sofie Svava whether there were specific personal areas to improve ahead of the next round, the Danish wing-back emphasized a collective approach.

She pointed out that the team’s preparation and unity matters more than individual tweaks going into such a crucial game.

Sofie replied, “I mean, we have worked all together as a team in training, prepared for this big game, so if we’re confident, and if we do as we’re told, then I think it would be a great outcome. So, I don’t know exactly what we need to work on in that case. It’s more like, if we’re together, have the best game of our life, then I think we’ll all be great.”

Learning from past outings against Arsenal

When Korbin Shrader was asked about facing Arsenal again after their earlier meeting this season in Champions League, she stressed the importance of learning from that game while continuing to grow as a team.

“Yeah, I mean, we’re just analyzing that last game, what we did well, what we didn’t do well, and we’re just gonna add on to that, and, you know, build on what we’ve already accomplished. And not only that, just, like, focusing on us, too, and making sure that we’re… we’re good in those areas, like, you know, if we lose the ball, first 5 seconds, let’s go press.

Just identity, I think, is really important, and that’s what we’ve been focusing on, just making sure everything’s crisp, everything is ready to go, and that we have that click with each other. And I think that’s super important, just building off the last match we put against them.” said Korbin.

When and where to catch the action live in India?

Fans in India can catch the UEFA Women’s Champions League semi-final live on FanCode, who will be streaming the match exclusively in India.

The clash is scheduled to take place on Sunday, 26 April, with kickoff set for 8:00 PM IST

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.