We’ve already secured our place in the play-offs for the UEFA Women’s Champions League quarter-finals, but Beth Mead knows the importance of finishing as high in the table as possible with a win over OH Leuven on Wednesday.
Speaking in her pre-match press conference at the Sobha Realty Training Centre on Tuesday, Mead was asked about the context of the game.
“I mean, for us, we need to win the game,” she said. “Obviously, we're in a good position right now, but again, Leuven have something to play for. It's not fully guaranteed for them right now [going through] so we know it's going to be a tough game. We've got to get the three points, that's what we aim to do.
“Again, this block, we've started off well and again, we want the three points moving forward. We want to finish as high as possible and that's what we're going out to do tomorrow.”
Asked what she knows about Leuven, who go into this game 12th in the league with the possibility of dropping out of the play-off places, Mead said: “We've done our homework. Obviously, they're a very different type of team to play against.
“We've watched them play against Barcelona and other teams. We know what they're about. We know what we have to do and bring to the game to win the game. We're looking forward to it. It's another Champions League night to play in.
“I don't think you ever take any Champions League game lightly. It's always a pleasure to be able to play in one. I'm very excited to test ourselves against very different opposition again. Obviously, with the way the Champions League path is now, you get to play against a lot of different teams. I think we enjoy being able to play our football, being able to play the Arsenal way within the game and hopefully go out there and get the three points again.”
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With a big crowd expected in Belgium, including over 1,000 travelling away fans, Mead also spoke about what it will be like to play in front of the supporters under the lights.
“We never take it for granted as players,” she said. “We love getting the support. We know we have the best fans in the world. They come home and away. Even at the weekend, I think we had more fans arguably than they had there. It shows how incredible they are. They've stuck through us obviously through this rollercoaster at the moment that we've been on. Hopefully, the travelling fans that come, we can give them a good win and a good performance tomorrow night.
“I think when you see how far the women's game has gone and you play in front of a few hundred people, not even that when you start out, to being able to play in front of sold-out crowds at stadiums, especially obviously in Belgium, it's great to see that they're obviously getting the support as well as we are in England. So long may that continue and obviously keep pushing the women's game forward. But yes, it's nice to play in front of big crowds and hopefully it'll be a nice atmosphere tomorrow night.”
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