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Arsenal head coach Renée Slegers says that there will be an element of guesswork around how opponents OH Leuven will approach the first leg of their UEFA Women’s Champions League quarter-final play-off tie in Belgium this evening.
The Gunners face OH Leuven for the second time this season. The pair previously met at King Power At Den Dreef Stadium in the League Phase with Arsenal running out 3-0 winners.
When speaking to the media in the pre-match press conference, Arsenal boss Slegers highlighted the different approaches which OH Leuven could take to the game, resulting in The Gunners having to do a bit of guesswork.
“I think what they did against us in the game before the new year was different approaches,” Slegers said. “I think different first half versus second half. I think they gave us some time on the ball in the first half, second half more aggressive and of course, this is a different scenario where there’s two legs to play, 180 minutes.
“They’re the first team to be at home and we play the second leg at home, so I’ll have to guess their approach to the game.”
Going on to discuss the game further, Slegers said that defending will be important for both sides in what promises to be a competitive first leg.
She said “I think what will be important for them is to defend really well against us, but that will be just as important for us as well because I’m sure they will try and create things with fast attacks, with counter-attacks and we all want to stop that.
“We respect who they are; they’re leading the table in Belgium and had a good performance in the Champions League. Even though we came away with a 3-0 win here last time, we’re very humble for the challenge.”
Arsenal have enjoyed an excellent start to 2026, winning the inaugural FIFA Women’s Champions Cup and defeating Barclays Women’s Super League title rivals Chelsea and Manchester City. Slegers says that the team must remain level-headed going into the OH Leuven tie.
She said “We want to make new history which we did through winning the Champions Cup. We’re very proud and we’re in a good place as a team.
“We’ve done well against the top teams in the WSL, prided ourselves on defending, a lot of clean sheets, won the first trophy. It shows what we can do, what we’re capable of, how good we are, but it also shows that we just have to stay in the controlled middle; that we are never too high, never too low because the next challenge comes around the corner and that’s Leuven which will be another competition, another challenge, two games, two legs. We just have to really stay focused on the task.”
Arsenal’s UEFA Women’s Champions League quarter-final play-off, first leg tie against OH Leuven kicks-off at 5.45pm this evening.
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