Renee Slegers hopes returning Arsenal duo can help her side overturn deficit to Lyon and reach Champions League final | OneFootball

Arsenal are set to be boosted by the returns of Daphne van Domselaar and Lotte Wubben-Moy when they take on Lyon in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final.

The Gunners trail 2-1 from their first-leg defeat at the Emirates but boss Renee Slegers pointed out the progress Arsenal have made since they lost the semi-final to Wolfsburg back in 2023, and backed her side to turn it around this time.

“I think it’s been nearly two years, obviously, since we were in this position with the club last time around against Wolfsburg,” she said. “Our squad and the depth we have and the strengths we have around the team is fantastic. At that time, two years ago, we were in a different place, so for us, we’re feeling good.”

Arsenal’s chances will be boosted by the return of van Domselaar and Wubben-Moy to training. Slegers said: “They trained today, the plan for them is to train tomorrow, and then they will be available for Sunday. But everyone still needs to come through training tomorrow, as always.”

More good news for Arsenal is the return of Kim Little, though she did not train with the team on Friday. “The plan is for her to train tomorrow,” Slegers said.

With a healthier squad, Arsenal star Katie McCabe pointed out what her side will need to do in order to progress. “You have to have the grit, the perseverance, the courage to step up in these games. We were frustrated at times in the first leg, by the fine margins and not getting over the line as such.”

“You’ve got to be so on it in terms of where your opponent is, where the ball is.

“That is one of my strengths, making forward runs and driving into spaces and delivering the ball into the box. I think we’ve obviously touched on certain things during the week so I definitely don’t want to lose that aspect of my game.”

McCabe can’t help but feel it’s the support of the Arsenal fans that can help them to pip Lyon to the final. She said: “That connection we have with them is something you can’t buy. And for us, especially on Sunday, they’re going to be so important for us to urge us on and encourage us and give us the energy, as they always do.”

The Gunners will take confidence from their performances in the quarter-finals as they overcame a two-goal deficit against Real Madrid, with Alessia Russo scoring a brace in the second leg as Arsenal put three past the Spanish side in 13 minutes.

It is this ability to comeback that Slegers points out as key. She said: “Whatever happens, we stick to it, we keep on going, we have a mindset of winning, we persist, and we keep on believing in what we’re doing and we’re aligned on that. I think that’s why we’ve been able to turn things around before.”

McCabe also added: “This is right up there, it’s been nearly two years since we were in this position with the club last time around against Wolfsburg.

“We can go in and be positive and score goals. We have the quality. We have the class around the team, but we have to be on it. We’ve spoken about Lyon and their strengths, but we know what we can do. We have the belief we can go and turn it around on Sunday.”