Renee Slegers delivers unsettling fitness update before huge Arsenal women's fixtures

Arsenal Women face O.H Leuven in the first leg of their UEFA Women’s Champions League quarter-final play-off on Wednesday night.

The Gunners travel to Belgium as they look to secure a strong result and move closer to the quarter-finals of the competition.

Arsenal remain firmly focused on defending their European title and will aim to start the tie well at the Dan Dreef Stadium.

Speaking ahead of the match, head coach Renee Slegers gave a clear update on the fitness of several key players.

Kyra Cooney-Cross, Stina Blackstenius and Beth Mead were all discussed during the pre-match press conference.

Injury updates ahead of Champions League tie

Slegers confirmed that Cooney-Cross is part of the travelling squad and could feature during the match.

On the status of the three players, the Arsenal coach said:

“Kyra(Cooney-Cross) travelled and she is available for minutes tomorrow. Stina and Beth didn’t travel. Stina(Blackstenius) still has issues with her calf and Beth(Mead) needs some time to offload her shin.”

The update means Arsenal will be without two of their most experienced attackers for the opening leg of the tie.

Respect shown to Leuven despite past win

The two sides met earlier in the competition during the group stage, with Arsenal claiming a 3-0 away win.

That result, however, has not led to any sense of ease within the Arsenal camp.

Slegers was quick to underline her respect for the Belgian side and their progress this season.

“We respect who they are and they’re leading the table in Belgium and had a good performance in the Champions League. So even though we came away with a 3-0 win here last time, we’re very humble for the challenge tomorrow.”

The Arsenal coach also addressed questions around tactics and whether changes could be expected.

She was asked if Arsenal could take a different approach compared to their recent 1-0 win over Manchester City.

Slegers explained that each match demands its own solution and careful preparation.

“Tomorrow is going to be a different game, different opposition, different scenario.

“They will set up differently and they will try to find their solutions as well. So it will be a new game, but we have high belief in the things that we’re doing right now, both on and off the ball.”

Arsenal head into the match with confidence built on recent results and strong performances across competitions.

Progressing to the next stage remains the clear aim as the Gunners continue their title defence in Europe.

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