Midfielder Wälti grateful for growing Arsenal support ahead of Conti Cup clash | OneFootball

Midfielder Lia Wälti says that it is incredible to be playing in front of huge Arsenal support both home and away this season.

The Gunners have recorded some huge home crowds at the Emirates Stadium while their away fixtures have also resulted in many attendance records being smashed.

When speaking to WSL Full-Time, Wälti said that having huge backing in the stands gives the players a real boost and that playing away so often feels like home.

“It often feels like a home game,” Wälti said. “I remember the game in Bristol, all I could hear was the Arsenal fans. They’re loud so even when we are away, it feels like we have a home crowd there.

“It’s great for the women’s game. We’ve gone from playing in front of a couple of hundred people to playing in front of crowds like that. It gives you a huge boost on the field and it’s incredible to celebrate with the fans when we score. It is so much more fun.

“In COVID, we had zero fans and it didn’t feel the same, it felt empty and not as important when we won. To have them back and to see the support growing and growing is incredible, regardless of if we are playing home or away.”

Arsenal will play their part in another big occasion when they travel to Southampton for a FA Women’s Continental Tyres League Cup fixture this evening. More than 12,000 fans are expected at St Mary’s Stadium, a Southampton club record. Wälti is looking forward to helping Arsenal to maintain their proud record in the competition.

She said “Southampton is an important game for us because we want to get to the next round of the Conti Cup and defend our trophy that we won last season.

“We take the opponent really seriously. We have seen a lot of good clips of them, we have analysed them and we have seen where their strengths are.

“We want to dominate the game and win it in front of a great crowd. We are looking forward to it.”

Arsenal’s FA Women’s Continental Tyres League Cup fixture at Southampton kicks-off at 6.30pm this evening.