The stage is set for the UEFA Women’s Champions League final as VfL Wolfsburg take on reigning UWCL winners Olympique Lyonnais.
For Westfield Matildas defender Ellie Carpenter, it could be one of the biggest matches of her career so far.
Lyon are are aiming to collect and unprecedented sevent UWCL title and fifth in a row. While Carpenter has not yet seen any minutes in the UWCL, if she takes the field for Lyon on Monday morning, she will be just the third Australian to play in a Champions League final after Alison Forman and Sharon Black played for Danish side Fortuna Hjørring against Sweden's Umeå in 2003.
[MORE: Alison Forman reflects on leading a team in the UEFA Women's Champions League Final]
[MORE: Carpenter - "I couldn't be enjoying myself any more"]
The German and French Champions advanced from this week’s semi-finals after tight 1-0 wins over Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, respectively.
They now head to their fourth Champions League final – the most finals meetings of any two European clubs in competition history.
Both teams started out this revised UWCL finals series (home-and-away legs were replaced by straight knock-out games) in polar opposite fashion. VfL Wolfsburg cruised through to the final four after thumping Scottish Champions Glasgow City FC 9-1, while Olympique Lyonnais were pushed by a young, well-drilled Bayern Munich side, with only a magical free kick from Lyon full-back Amel Majri the difference in a 2-1 win.
But the semi-finals introduced a whole new level of drama.
Wolfsburg were lucky to come away with a win against last year’s UWCL runners-up Barcelona on Wednesday morning, with the deciding goal being poked home by Fridolina Rolfö just before the hour mark.
The following morning, Carpenter’s Lyon met Paris Saint-Germain for the second semi-final. Barely a month after defeating them in the Coupe de France, Lyon claimed another 1-0 win over their main French rivals thanks to a towering header from Wendie Renard in the 67th minute.
The final will take place at the Anoeta Stadium in San Sebastián on Monday at 4:00am (AEST). Australian supporters can watch the match via UEFA TV.
