Lingor hails new-look competition

German great Renate Lingor was an interested spectator as 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam and Olympique Lyonnais trained at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez ahead of a final which she believes is breaking new ground for the women's game.

The first edition of the UEFA Women's Champions League concludes in Getafe on Thursday, the competition having replaced the UEFA Women's Cup as part of a rebranding which will also see all finals from this year played two nights before the men's decider, and in the same city.

Lingor was a key member of the 1. FFC Frankfurt team which won the last European women's final to be played as a one-off fixture in 2002, adding another over two legs in 2006. Looking ahead to the game the 34-year-old, who has worked for the German Football Association since retiring in 2008, told UEFA.com: "The final's on a neutral ground for the first time. It's great that this is finally happening in women's football – a few years too late for me.

"I hope it will be a very even game. Lyon have a couple of experienced foreign players and Potsdam have young players, many from the national youth teams, so it's hard to say who will handle the pressure better. But I hope the cup will come to Germany."

German clubs won five of the eight editions of the UEFA Women's Cup, while Lingor was part of the all-conquering national team which lifted two FIFA Women's World Cups and as many UEFA European Women's Championships in the 2000s. For her, success is all "to do with pressure, mindset, fighting spirit – those things you bring to the game".

She added: "Pressure is actually good, you know there won't be a return leg, you can write history. Both teams have the same objective - they won't give up and will fight until the end. I think it will be a very good game and great publicity for women's football."

As will the fact that no tickets remain available for the game, meaning a 14,000 crowd is in prospect. "It's fantastic," said Lingor, capped 149 times. "It means we have gone a step further in the right direction to making women's football more popular. We have to continue to work on that so our sport will be recognised even more. That would be fantastic; a real milestone in European women's football."