The first of two massive clashes in the UEFA Women's Champions League takes place tonight as we face Real Madrid in the away leg of the quarter-finals.
This marks the very first time our Gunners have played the Spanish outfit and all the action kicks off in Madrid at 5.45pm (UK).
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Our UWCL journey so far
Our Gunners had to progress through two qualifying rounds to reach this year's Champions League group stage, dismissing Rangers, Rosenborg and BK Hacken in the process.
It was a tough start to Group C as we fell to defeat to Bayern Munich, but our squad rallied to win the next four fixtures in a row. We then went onto a full-circle finish with a victory over Bayern at Meadow Park, progressing to the knockout stages as group winners.
Our opponents
Real Madrid Femenino in their current form have only existed since 2020, following a merger with Club Deportivo TACÓN. Despite this, Las Blancas have qualified for the Champions League group stages in every season, reaching the quarter-finals once before in 2021/22. This time around, Real finished second in their Champions League group behind Chelsea.
Managed by Alberto Toril since 2021, the side boasts players such as Caroline Weir, Linda Caicedo, Signe Bruun and captain Olga Carmona, who scored the only goal in the 2023 FIFA World Cup final.
In terms of domestic form, Real drew against Deportivo at the weekend and suffered a heavy loss to Barcelona over two legs in the Copa de la Reina to miss out on the final.
What the managers say
Slegers on Madrid: “I think they're a very strong collective. They have a strong identity, they look disciplined in their game, both in and out of possession. And I think they have some key threats with a couple of individuals in their team that we really want to try and stop tomorrow.
“They're probably not happy with the two points lost [against Deportivo]. I'm guessing they will be determined and try and come out in their home arena to do their best. We can't think about that because it's not within our control and we don't want to underestimate anything. We're very humble for the task, but at the same time, we also feel confident about who we are and what football we can play.”
Torli on us: "I expect a close tie between two teams that are doing really well. I'm really looking forward to this quarter-final.
“My players will need to get to grips with the key moments of each leg of the tie. There will be many matches within the match itself. We have to control the situations and take the game to where it suits us.”
Team news
At the pre-match press conference, Renée Slegers confirmed that Lotte Wubben-Moy and Daphne van Domselaar were the only players in the squad to not make the journey to Madrid.
She also mentioned that Laia Codina had been managing some "minor" fitness problems, but was now back on the pitch.
Match officials
Referee: Frida Klarlund
Assistant referees: Fie Brunn and Daniela Gottlinger
Fourth official: Riem Hussein
How to watch
All the action kicks off at Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano at 5.45pm UK time.
You can watch along at home via DAZN’s YouTube channel.
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