Zürcher Nachrichten - Lyon a different proposition for Arsenal this time round, says Giraldez

The 34-year-old Spaniard said that was logical given neither he nor many of the players were at the club when they lost 5-3 on aggregate, the English side overturning a 2-1 home defeat in the first leg to sweep aside the eight-time Champions League winners 4-1 in France.

However, Giraldez -- who is seeking a third Champions League title having won it twice with Barcelona -- oversaw Lyon's 2-1 win in London in October.

"This is completely different," he said ahead of travelling to London.

"We brought in nine new players last summer and I also arrived.

"However, in terms of emotion, it is important not to forget what happened last season.

"We can lean on that in order to discover a good balance, but on a sporting level it is another matter.

"Sunday's match will be closer to the game we played in London last autumn."

Lyon's victorious visit to London in October was a wake-up call to Arsenal that retaining the title would be tough.

Since then both sides have had differing fortunes in their domestic leagues.

Lyon are well on course for winning the league crown for the 19th time in 20 seasons -- Paris Saint Germain interrupting their monopolisation of the title in 2021 -- as they hold a 14-point lead over Paris FC.

However, they do still have to go through end of season play-offs to assure themselves of the title.

Arsenal, however, have it all to do to win their first Women's Super League title since 2019. They are third in the table, 11 points adrift of leaders Manchester City, albeit with three games in hand.

Giraldez, who guided Barcelona to a sweep of four trophies in the 2023-24 campaign, said it had taken time to blend so many new faces into an effective unit but things were coming together at just the right moment.

"Back in July we did not really know what the team's level would be," he said.

"So many players from various regions of the world and speaking different languages, plus the new arrivals.

"We had to work hard on building them into a cohesive unit so as to raise their level.

"Now we arrive at the most important moment of the season with a possibility of winning everything.

"It was not the case last year at the same stage of the season.

"It is really positive."

Nevertheless Giraldez is too experienced a campaigner despite his youth to be taking anything for granted until the trophies are locked in the club cabinet.

"We have achieved nothing yet this term except winning the League Cup," he said.

"This is the pivotal moment. We are here to win the big matches."

D.Smith--NZN