Lucy Bronze targets Chelsea win on emotional return to Lyon

Chelsea head to Lyon aiming to make it two wins from two in the Women’s Champions League, with defender Lucy Bronze ready to face the club where she lifted three straight European titles.

Match facts

Lyon arrive as the early leaders after their emphatic demolition of Servette, while Chelsea’s narrower victory over Austria Wien ensured Sonia Bompastor’s side began their campaign with three points.

Bronze knows exactly what awaits in France. The England right-back spent a trophy-laden spell at Lyon and will also reunite with former team-mates Ellie Carpenter, Kadeisha Buchanan and Melvine Malard.

“It’s so exciting,” Bronze said. “My time at Lyon was amazing. Ellie, Keish and Melvine all had a great time there, and we played there together as well.”

The 34-year-old expects a major examination against one of European football’s most decorated sides. “We know Lyon’s pedigree in the Champions League,” she said. “To go toe-to-toe with one of the best teams in the world, test ourselves and prove ourselves is exciting.”

Lyon have been rated clear favourites, with a 65.2 per cent chance of victory compared with Chelsea’s 15.9 per cent. Bronze, however, is embracing the pressure rather than treating the trip as a problem.

“I love the big games and the difficult games,” she added. “That is what the best players want. They want to represent the best teams, challenge for trophies and compete in the league. That is what we are doing this season, pushing ourselves in every match to compete for and win every trophy possible.”

Chelsea can draw confidence from their strong travelling record in the competition. They have lost only once in 15 away fixtures across the Champions League group and league phases.

What happens next: Chelsea must turn that resilience into a result in Lyon, where a second successive win would strengthen their early position and underline their European ambitions.