**Head coach Renée Slegers says Arsenal are ready for the challenge ahead of a must-win clash against Real Madrid in the UEFA Women’s Champions League.**
A muddy evening in Madrid saw Arsenal fall to a 2-0 defeat at Estadio Alfredo Di Stéfano last week, leaving the side with a mountain to climb in the second leg. Gunners head coach Renée Slegers said she has full belief in her squad’s ability to remain composed ahead of the challenge.
“I can visualise in my head how the game should look, but football is unpredictable and that’s the magic about it,” Slegers expressed. “That’s why people come to the stadium. You don’t know what’s going to happen. So yes, in an ideal world, I have a picture in my head of what happens across those 90-100 minutes, but we also have to plan for all possible scenarios.
“The one thing that I know that we are going to be and the players are going to be is that we’re going to be calm and composed and we have a belief during the whole game that we can do it.”
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‘Together with the fans, we are at our best’
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Arsenal will return to Emirates Stadium following an inspirational victory over Liverpool in the Women’s Super League (WSL). The 4-0 win is Arsenal’s sixth consecutive home league victory won by a margin of four goals or more. Slegers expressed how the home advantage is something her side cherish, but try not to rely on.
“We think if you want to play at the highest level and you want to win games, then you have to be able to deal with any circumstance. So of course you need to play 50% of your games at home and 50% away from home. In a perfect world, we deal with both scenarios really well and that’s what we want to get to.
“We also know that the Emirates is good for us. The pitch is good and the facilities are good. We can prepare very well to perform. The Emirates is much bigger, and I think that when we’re together with the fans, we’re at our best. We can create something magical and they give us that extra edge. So we really thrive at the Emirates. So everything is set up for us to perform, but then it’s still about ourselves, what we bring to the game tomorrow.”
Wednesday’s showdown with Real Madrid may well be the biggest game of Slegers’s managerial career, but that is certainly not how she is approaching the challenge.
“I never think about it that way,” Slegers admitted. “I think all games are important. If you’re coaching Arsenal, then all games matter. So everything is important and tomorrow is as well. So for me, it’s another game. But I know what it means for a lot of people. It means a lot for us as well as a team. I think I need to prepare every game 100% as good as possible.”