Slegers expecting Arsenal to come up against ‘determined’ Real Madrid | OneFootball

Arsenal head coach Renée Slegers says that Real Madrid will be determined to make amends for their recent form when the two sides meet in the UEFA Women’s Champions League.

The two sides will contest the first leg of their quarter-final tie at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stéfano this evening.

Real Madrid go into the match after winning just one of their last four domestic fixtures and Arsenal boss Slegers expects the Spaniards to be determined to put things right.

“They’re a top team and they will want to come back from those performances,” Slegers said when speaking in the pre-match press conference. “I think Barcelona v Real Madrid is always going to be a tough game for both teams and I think they made some changes last Saturday.

“They’re probably not happy with the two points lost [at the weekend]. I’m guessing they will be determined and try to come out in their home arena to do their best.

“We can’t think about that because it’s not within our control and we don’t want to underestimate anything. We’re very humble for the task, but at the same time, we also feel confident about who we are and what football we can play.”

Going on to discuss Real Madrid’s qualities, Slegers said that they have top players across the pitch and she has identified individual threats that Arsenal will need to be mindful of.

She said “I think they’re a very strong collective. They have a strong identity, they look disciplined in their game, both in and out of possession. I think they have some key threats with a couple of individuals in their team that we really want to try and stop.”

Arsenal have waited three months to continue their UEFA Women’s Champions League campaign but Slegers feels that The Gunners are ready for their latest challenge.

She said “We want to be active in as many competitions as possible. We want to play as many games as possible and many at the end of the season because that’s when the business happens. We’ve been waiting for this game for a long time but obviously, we’ve been playing a lot of competitive games and we’ve been in the here and now and trying to do our best in those competitions. We’re happy that we’re finally here again.”

Arsenal’s UEFA Women’s Champions League quarter-final, first leg tie against Real Madrid kicks-off at 5.45pm this evening.