Rivalries on tap with Barcelona-Chelsea and Lyon-PSG in Women's Champions League semifinals

LONDON (AP) — Power struggles, intriguing matchups and fond farewells.

The Women’s Champions League semifinals kicking off Saturday have a bit of everything.

Two teams are trying to assert their continental dominance and the other two are fighting to be crowned European champion for the first time.

Defending champion Barcelona hosts Chelsea in their first-leg match on Saturday afternoon before eight-time champion Lyon takes on French rival Paris Saint-Germain in the evening. The second legs are the following weekend.

Barcelona is going for its third title in four years, while Lyon is seeking its record-extending ninth. Lyon has “only” been to one final in the past three years. That's great by most standards but off the pace from Lyon's earlier dominance. It won five in a row from 2016-2020.

Should Lyon and Barcelona advance to the May 25 final in Bilbao, Spain, it would be a rematch of the 2022 decider, when Lyon won 3-1.

Chelsea and PSG have never won the Champions League or its predecessor, the UEFA Women's Cup. In its only final appearance, Chelsea was routed 4-0 by Barcelona in 2021. PSG has been runner-up twice — in 2015 to Frankfurt and two years later to Lyon.

As manager, Emma Hayes has led Chelsea to more than a dozen major domestic titles, but the Champions League has eluded her. She's got another shot before leaving London to take over as coach of the U.S. women's national team.

“The team wants to win for themselves, they want to win for the football club, they want to win for their families, they want to win because they're winners. They're sick to death of what they need to do for me, and that's fair, it's not about me, it's about them,” Hayes said of Chelsea's push for trophies in her final season.

Barcelona coach Jonatan Giráldez is also headed across the Atlantic after this season, to become coach of the NWSL's Washington Spirit.

Here’s a closer look at the matches:

BARCELONA-CHELSEA

Two-time champion Barcelona has had the upper hand against the Blues, having beaten them in the 2021 final and last year's semifinals. The home team on Saturday afternoon has the star power, too, with Ballon d'Or winner Aitana Bonmati leading a potent attack that includes two-time Ballon d'Or winner Alexia Putellas, Salma Paralluelo, Caroline Graham Hansen, and Fridolina Rolfö. It can be a nightmare for any defense. The Catalan club is undefeated this season. Barcelona beat Wolfsburg 3-2 in last season's Champions League final. For Saturday, Barcelona has had a week to prepare, unlike Chelsea, which lost 2-1 to Manchester United on Sunday in the FA Cup semifinals and played on Wednesday in England's domestic league. The London team has missed the firepower of striker Sam Kerr, who sustained an ACL injury in January. Lauren James, Mayra Ramirez and Sjoeke Nüsken have picked up the slack. Fran Kirby is also a threat. James missed Wednesday's game with an unspecified injury and her status for Saturday was unclear. U.S. forward Catarina Macario made her first start for Chelsea in midweek. The second leg is at Stamford Bridge the following Saturday.

LYON-PSG

Lyon hosts Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday evening in an all-French matchup that has usually gone Lyon's way. Lyon beat PSG in the 2017 final — on penalties — and three other times in the semifinals, while PSG's latest Champions League success against its rival was in the 2020-21 quarterfinals. In the offseason, Kadidiatou Diani left PSG to join Lyon, and the France international now leads the Champions League with seven goals this season. Teammate Ada Hegerberg, who signed a contract extension this week, has five goals and is the tournament's all-time top scorer (64 goals). PSG may have lost Diani, but it found an emerging star in Malawi forward Tabitha Chawinga to pair with the prolific Marie-Antoinette Katoto. And PSG was moments away from victory in Lyon in the French league earlier this season before settling for a 1-1 draw after a 90th minute own-goal. The game at Groupama Stadium is expected to break the attendance record for a Lyon women's home match with more than 35,000 tickets sold. The current record is 30,661 from a Lyon-PSG match in 2019. The second leg will be at Parc des Princes the following Sunday.

MUSICAL CHAIRS

At least two — possibly three — of the four semifinalists will have new coaches next season. Emma Hayes is taking over as coach of the U.S. women's national team. Sonia Bompastor has reportedly agreed to replace Hayes at Chelsea. Barcelona coach Jonatan Giráldez will become coach of the NWSL's Washington Spirit in June. Spirit owner Michele Kang is also the majority shareholder of the Lyon women's team.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

FILE - Chelsea's Lauren James scores her side's first goal past Ajax's Regina van Eijk during the Women's Champions League quarterfinal soccer match between Ajax and Chelsea at the Johan Cruyff ArenA, in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Tuesday, March 19, 2024. The Women’s Champions League semifinals kicking off Saturday, April 20, 2024 have a bit of everything. Defending champion Barcelona hosts Chelsea in their first-leg match before eight-time champion Lyon takes on French rival Paris Saint-Germain. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, File)

FILE - Lyon's Kadidiatou Diani runs with the ball during the women's Champions League quarterfinals, first leg, soccer match between SL Benfica and Olympique Lyonnais at the Luz Stadium, in Lisbon, Tuesday, March 19, 2024. The Women’s Champions League semifinals kicking off Saturday, April 20, 2024 have a bit of everything. Defending champion Barcelona hosts Chelsea in their first-leg match before eight-time champion Lyon takes on French rival Paris Saint-Germain. (AP Photo/Armando Franca, File)

FILE - PSG's Tabitha Chawinga, right, scores her side's first goal past Bayern goalkeeper Maria-Luisa Grohs during the women's Champions League group C soccer match between FC Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain in Munich, Germany, Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024. The Women’s Champions League semifinals kicking off Saturday, April 20, 2024 have a bit of everything. Defending champion Barcelona hosts Chelsea in their first-leg match before eight-time champion Lyon takes on French rival Paris Saint-Germain. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, File)

FILE - Barcelona's Aitana Bonmati heads the ball during the women's Champions League quarterfinals, second leg, soccer match between FC Barcelona and SK Brann Kvinner at the Estadi Johan Cruyff in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday, March 28, 2024. The Women’s Champions League semifinals kicking off Saturday, April 20, 2024 have a bit of everything. Defending champion Barcelona hosts Chelsea in their first-leg match before eight-time champion Lyon takes on French rival Paris Saint-Germain. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort, File)

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — A Pakistani province has issued a flood alert due to glacial melting and warned of heavy loss of life, officials said Saturday.

The country has witnessed days of extreme weather, killing scores of people and destroying property and farmland. Experts say Pakistan is experiencing heavier rains than normal in April because of climate change.

In the mountainous northwest province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which has been hit particularly hard by the deluges, authorities issued a flood alert because of the melting of glaciers in several districts.

They said the flood could worsen and that people should move to safer locations ahead of any danger.

“If timely safety measures are not taken, there is a possibility of heavy loss of life and property due to the expected flood situation,” said Muhammad Qaiser Khan, from the local disaster management authority.

Latest figures from the province said that 46 people, including 25 children, have died in the past five days due to rain-related incidents.

At least 2,875 houses and 26 schools have either collapsed or been damaged.

The southwest province of Baluchistan has also been battered by rainfall. It said it had limited resources to deal with the current situation but if the rains continued, it would look to the central government for help.

In 2022, downpours swelled rivers and at one point inundated one-third of Pakistan, killing 1,739 people. The floods also caused $30 billion in damage.

Pakistan's monsoon season starts in June.

People pass by a damaged electric pole caused by flooding due to heavy rains near Chaman area, Pakistan, Thursday, April 18 2024. Lightning and heavy rains led to 14 deaths in Pakistan, officials said Wednesday, bringing the death toll from four days of extreme weather to at least 63, as the heaviest downpour in decades flooded villages on the country's southwestern coast. Flash floods have also killed dozens of people in neighboring Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Habib Ullah)