‘We want to go for it’ – Arsenal ready to give their all against Lyon says Slegers | OneFootball

Arsenal head coach Renée Slegers says that her side are ready to give everything in the first leg of their UEFA Women’s Champions League semi-final tie against Lyon.

The Gunners face the French giants in-front of a bumper crowd at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday lunchtime.

When speaking in the pre-match press conference, Arsenal boss Slegers said that her side will not be holding back given the fact that they have home advantage in the first leg.

“We know that tomorrow is our chance,” Slegers said. “I think 40,000 tickets sold, there will be an enormous crowd.

“We’re going to go [at it] from the start because we enjoy playing at the Emirates. We’re at one of the final stages of the Champions League, it’s a huge moment and we’re going to do it here in London at the Emirates. We want to go for it and we want to take the opportunity by the throat.”

Opponents Lyon are the UEFA Women’s Champions League’s most successful club with eight titles. OL have more experience than any side in European football’s premier competition but Slegers says that Arsenal can be successful in tomorrow’s game.

She said “I have huge respect for their history and what they have been doing and producing in the Champions League, in Europe. I think they’re still a very strong side but us playing at the Emirates with the hunger and the belief that we have in the team at the moment, we’re going to go and play our game the best we can.

“Even though with huge respect to the individual qualities and threats that they will bring to the game, we believe we can do something tomorrow and we’re going to go for it.”

Arsenal come up against their former boss Joe Montemurro who is now head coach at Lyon. Slegers has huge respect for the Australian.

She said “[Joe] was actually my mentor when I was part of a UEFA mentorship programme, I think five or six years ago. I actively asked for him as my mentor because I heard a lot of good things about his leadership, his football philosophy and how he is as a person.

“It was great working with him, I learned a lot of things. I was visiting him here at Arsenal when he was working here. I know Joe and he knows me and he knows the club and the players as well. Of course, a lot of things have changed since he left. It’s going to be a great encounter and I look forward to seeing him tomorrow.”

Arsenal’s UEFA Women’s Champions League semi-final, first leg fixture against Lyon kicks-off at 12.30pm on Saturday afternoon. Tickets remain on-sale and can be purchased by clicking here.