Arsenal return to the biggest stage in European football with belief high and Barcelona in their sights. Alessia Russo says her team are ready.
LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 26: Lia Walti and Alessia Russo of Arsenal celebrate after the team's victory and progression to the Semi-Final after the UEFA Women's Champions League Quarter Finals Second Leg match between Arsenal FC and Real Madrid CF at Emirates Stadium on March 26, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
Alessia Russo says Arsenal will take to the pitch in Lisbon with belief as they prepare for their first Women’s Champions League final in 18 years. Facing Barcelona, the England striker has insisted her side are ready to upset the odds.
The last time Arsenal lifted Europe’s biggest prize was in 2007. Since then, Barcelona have emerged as the continent’s dominant force, winning the title three times in the past four seasons. They arrive at Estádio José Alvalade in formidable form, having dismantled Chelsea 8-2 on aggregate in the semi-finals and winning another Liga F title by eight points.
LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 26: Leah Williamson and Steph Catley of Arsenal celebrate after the team's victory and progression to the Semi-Final after the UEFA Women's Champions League Quarter Finals Second Leg match between Arsenal FC and Real Madrid CF at Emirates Stadium on March 26, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images
Arsenal’s path to the final has been defined by quality and determination. Tonight, they will rely on both. Russo, who has scored 20 goals this season, said: “Any player that plays for Arsenal understands it is a winning club that is so ambitious and wants to be at the top competing with the best.
“We know Barcelona are a top side and have won at the highest level consistently but I have full belief in us as a team. We know what we’re capable of. We have enjoyed being in a major final and we are all really excited and prepared.”
The final comes with a record £1.28 million prize from UEFA, a modest figure compared to the £119 million taken home by Real Madrid in the men’s competition last season. But the stakes for the women’s game continue to rise, with a new league-style format and secondary European tournament set to be introduced next year.
DECINES-CHARPIEU, FRANCE - APRIL 27: Mariona Caldentey of Arsenal celebrates scoring her team's second goal with team mate Katie McCabe during the UEFA Women's Champions League semifinal second leg match between Olympique Lyonnais and Arsenal WFC at OL Stadium on April 27, 2025 in Decines-Charpieu, France. (Photo by Catherine Steenkeste/Getty Images)
Photo by Catherine Steenkeste/Getty Images
Despite the discrepancy in earnings and resources, Arsenal remain the only English club to have won the Women’s Champions League. Their return to the summit has been long in the making and tonight represents a shot at sporting immortality for a new generation.
Victory would mark a major turning point not just for the club but for English women’s football, which has watched on for the better part of two decades as clubs in Spain, France and Germany have dominated the European stage.
Arsenal are underdogs against a team described in Switzerland’s Toggenburg newspaper as “the absolute dream team”. But the belief within Renee Slegers’s camp is clear.
Leah Williamson
Leah Williamson as an Arsenal mascot in 2007
Leah Williamson as an Arsenal mascot in 2007
18 years after serving as a mascot at the club’s only previous European triumph, the defender is determined to help deliver another. “My job is to be a player, a player that wants to do it for the fan in me,” she said. “We go there to win.”
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