Arsenal Women travel to Belgium on Wednesday for their final UEFA Women’s Champions League group phase fixture against OH Leuven, with a top-four finish still mathematically possible.
The Gunners sit eighth with nine points and have already secured their play-off spot, but need victory plus favourable results elsewhere to claim automatic quarter-final qualification.
Leuven occupy 12th place, the final knockout position, meaning they must avoid defeat to guarantee progression. The Belgian side have impressed in their debut Champions League campaign, remaining unbeaten at home with draws against Paris FC and Roma alongside a win over Twente.
Kick-off: 20:00 GMT, Wednesday, December 18, 2025
Venue: Den Dreef Stadium, Leuven
TV: Disney+ (UK)
Form Guide
Arsenal have won their last four matches across all competitions, beating Twente 1-0, Everton 3-1, Liverpool 3-1 and Roma 6-0. Renée Slegers has made tactical adjustments that are bearing fruit, particularly asking Beth Mead to move inside as a second number 10 to reduce Alessia Russo’s workload in deeper positions.
https://twitter.com/ArsenalWFC/status/2001215948603453852
Russo has four goals in five Champions League matches this season and will be eager to add to that tally. The tweak allows her to stay higher up the pitch in shooting positions while Mead handles more creative work.
Leuven lead the Belgian Super League by two points after beating second-placed Anderlecht 3-1 last Saturday. In Europe, they’ve drawn with Paris FC, PSG and Roma but lost 3-0 to Barcelona. Only the Catalans have beaten them, with Leuven taking four points from two home group games.
Team News
Frida Maanum returns after missing the Everton match, but Jenna Nighswonger is unavailable. Manuela Zinsberger (ACL), Daphne van Domselaar (quad), Chloe Kelly (knee) and Katie Reid (ACL) remain sidelined.
https://twitter.com/AFCFixtureNews/status/2001332874411413872
Leah Williamson continues building fitness after her Euro 2025 knee injury and could feature from the bench again. Kim Little captains the side.
Leuven are a young squad with only 31-year-old Julie Biesmans among the regular starters over 24. They defended in a very narrow shape against PSG, jumping out when wing-backs received the ball near the touchline.
https://twitter.com/wgamehub/status/2001323563195007464
Predicted Lineups
OH Leuven (4-3-3): Seynhaeve; Coryn, Kors, Deloose, Nypels; Biesmans, Lichtfus, Vanmechelen; Vandenberghe, Daniels, Cayman
Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Borbe; Fox, Wubben-Moy, Catley, McCabe; Little, Cooney-Cross; Mead, Mariona, Foord; Russo
Also read:Renee Slegers Confirms The Position Arsenal Women Are Looking To Sign a Player From in January Transfer Window