Renee Slegers insists underdogs Arsenal “are here to win” and called for bravery from her side ahead of their Women’s Champions League final against holders Barcelona in Lisbon on Saturday.
Barca have lifted the trophy on three out of the last four occasions, while there has not been an English winner since the Gunners did it themselves to seal a quadruple in the 2006-07 season.
Just 90 minutes now stand between the Women’s Super League runners-up and what that competition’s serial winners Chelsea – Champions League runners-up to the Spanish giants in 2021 – have yet to achieve.
🔴 Arsenal land in Lisbon ahead of their first-ever #UWCL game in Portugal 📍
And it’s a big one! #UWCLfinal || @ArsenalWFC pic.twitter.com/ydXMfKBvMD
— UEFA Women’s Champions League (@UWCL) May 23, 2025
“We want to show courage tomorrow,” said boss Slegers, who took over from Jonas Eidevall on an interim basis in October before she was appointed on a permanent basis in January.
Don Cowie says struggling Staggies cannot afford to feel sorry for themselves5 talking points ahead of Arsenal’s Champions League final clash with Barcelona
“We respect Barcelona as a team. They’re a really, really good football team, so we’re very humble for the occasion, but also we are here to win and we have to find ways to win.
“I am convinced that the game will shift in momentum, and for us it is going to be important that we deal with all the moments really, really well in the game.
“We need courage, we need discipline, we need wisdom. We’re going to have to make a lot of decisions on the pitch. If we do that really well, I think we can perform really well tomorrow, and we have to believe in our capacity.”
WSL Golden Boot joint-winner Alessia Russo agreed it felt like Arsenal had finally booked a date with the destiny she and her team-mates had in mind when they signed on.
“Any player that comes to play for Arsenal understands that it’s a winning club,” said the England forward.
“I feel like absolutely, this is where we want the club to be, and this is what we will keep pushing as players and as a group of all of us together, and we are very aware of what’s come before us as well.”
Russo appreciates that her side might not be the bookmakers’ favourites when compared to a Spanish outfit who are two wins away from a second straight treble having already won Liga F and reached the final of the Copa de la Reina, but added: “I also believe we are a very good football team.
Making memories 😄 pic.twitter.com/HtdHoWgIwi
— Arsenal Women (@ArsenalWFC) May 23, 2025
“Maybe there’s a bit of that (doubt), but not internally. Internally we know how good we are. We know the style that we want to play in, that we commit to every day in training.
“Internally, we’re good.”
Slegers has no fresh injury concerns save Sweden forward Rosa Kafaji, who misses out with a foot problem.
Arsenal completed an impressive comeback over Lyon in the semi-finals after losing the first leg 2-1 at home, then beating eight-time Champions League winners – and last season’s runners-up – 4-1 in France to advance 5-3 on aggregate.
Barcelona midfielder and back-to-back Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmati said: “I said a few days ago that for me it was a surprise that Arsenal beat Lyon, but they deserve so well to be in the final because they won.
“They scored four goals against one of the best teams. We didn’t ever score four goals against Lyon.”