‘We expect a lot of intensity’ – Slegers previews Arsenal’s UWCL fixture against Benfica | OneFootball

Arsenal head coach Renée Slegers says that this evening’s opponents SL Benfica will be aggressive and intense in their play.

The Gunners have travelled to Portugal ahead of their latest fixture in the UEFA Women’s Champions League’s all-new league phase.

When speaking in the pre-match press conference, Slegers explained that Benfica are an aggressive team that will bring a lot of intensity to the game.

“I’ve played against them a couple of years ago,” Slegers said. “They’re a very aggressive and intense team to play against. They have a psychological presence, if I can say so. They will be intense from that perspective as well. I think they believe in what they’re doing.

“We’re going to play at the big stadium, we’re going to have a crowd. We also have fans coming, which is great, so we expect a lot of intensity in the game, which we want to match and always want to bring as well. We want to deal with it in a good way and create control in the game for ourselves.”

Arsenal recorded a first victory in a month as they defeated Brighton & Hove Albion 1-0 at the Emirates Stadium at the weekend. Slegers says that the win has helped lift the mood ahead of the Benfica game.

She said “Everyone, of course, is happy with the win. We said three points was the most important thing on that day. We did that together, so I’m very happy with that.

“I think we’ve had a productive review day with the players, with some really good constructive outcomes. We’ve been working hard in the build-up to the Benfica game.”

Arsenal return to the city where they won the UEFA Women’s Champions League trophy back in May. Slegers said that the team are proud of their achievement and that it helps boost their belief and confidence.

She said “Yeah, I think we wear that with pride, we’re very proud of that. What we achieved last year, it was a long journey. We did so many great things in our Champions League journey last year. We’re very, very proud but football is growing and developing quickly, there’s so much competition, teams are getting better and better. We want to get better as well.

“It definitely gives us belief and confidence in what we’re capable of but also, a big learning from us achieving that is that you need to be very, very humble for the change that happens and for the opponents that you’re going to face. You’ll have to work really hard and that’s what we know we’ll have to do in this game.”

Arsenal’s UEFA Women’s Champions League fixture at SL Benfica kicks-off at 8pm.