Canadian veteran Ashley Lawrence prepared for Manchester United challenge

9th December 2025 Oliver Taliku

Ashley Lawrence is prepared for the Manchester United challenge this week, with the Lyon defender facing a familiar foe.

Lyon prepared for Manchester United test

The game of the week in the women’s Champions League is without a doubt Manchester United vs Lyon.

Both teams look unlikely to miss out on the knockouts after a good start to their European campaign. Lyon are currently second in the table with United just one point behind in fifth.

Speaking ahead of the game, Canadian legend Ashley Lawrence admitted that United could be their toughest test yet.

“I think it’s going to be a good game” Lawrence said.

“I’m definitely used to playing against them in the league the last couple of years, so I know that they’re a team that’s going to fight. They have talented players and they have experience as well.”

Lawrence was a Chelsea player for two years before leaving to France in summer, so she has plenty of experience facing Wednesday’s opponents.

While United only qualified for the Champions League for a first time this year they still have plenty of European experience in their ranks.

“You know, even though they’re now just in the Champions League they’ve been playing together for quite some time, so they’ve been able to build the connections between their players, which takes time to build.

“It’s going to be a big test but we’re up for the challenge. And, you know, we also have our own threats to offer. So yeah, we’re going to come in confident. But again, we don’t take anything lightly, and it’s going to be a good game against United.”

Can Manchester United topple Lyon?

As the hosts for Wednesday’s fixture, United come into the game as marginal favourites to beat Lyon.

The Red Devils have welcomed Phallon Tullis-Joyce back in goal and almost have a full strength squad for the game.

Celin Bizet is the only notable absentee after announcing her pregnancy early last week.

There is no doubt that United have the talent to beat Lyon, but their opponents have looked formidable this year.

Lyon sit top of the French division with nine wins from nine and the only game they have dropped points in so far was a six goal thriller against Juventus that ended 3-3.

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About Oliver Taliku 436 Articles
Olly Taliku has worked with highly respected sports and gambling websites where he has produced hundreds of articles, as well as being published with Burton Albion and Chesterfield FC. At Burton Olly worked closely alongside the women's team, producing mainly matchday content including reports and interviews. He also has experience as an accredited Premier League and EFL writer for Prost International where he worked during the 2021/22 season to produce matchday content as an on location reporter. Olly specialises in women's football as well as long form SEO content plus news and tips. While he enjoys writing about all football, Olly supports Arsenal passionately as a lifelong fan of the club.