Jonas Eidevall: Fans should expect “a really exciting game” as Arsenal face Häcken

Arsenal manager Jonas Eidevall told reporters today that his side are expecting intensity from opponents BK Häcken in tomorrow night’s UEFA Women’s Champions League clash.

The Swedish manager said both sides will be hungry for a win in tomorrow’s second round of qualifiers. The first leg will be played at the home of their opponents, who sit 2nd in the Damallsvenskan and reached the quarter-finals of last season’s competition.

What did Jonas Eidevall say?

“We’re really hungry, I expect Häcken [are] as well,” said Eidevall. “You also have to see it from their perspective – they probably can’t win the league, they didn’t win the cup, this is their chance to do anything with this season so they’re going to be really motivated as well and so will we.”

Arsenal were eliminated in the first round of qualifying last season against Paris FC, but have so far beaten Rangers 6-0 and Rosenborg 1-0.

Asked about moving on from last season’s difficult European campaign, Eidevall said: “It’s a really resilient team that I have the pleasure of working with. I think we’re good at keeping a level head both in times of success and in times of adversity. And i think that is the key to constantly control what you can control and not putting too much of your attention onto other factors.”

The manager confirmed that Steph Catley and Lina Hurtig are both unavailable for tomorrow’s match. However, there is a possibility that Stina Blackstenius and Rosa Kafaji could face their former club. Kafaji joined from Häcken this summer, while Blackstenius moved to London in 2022.

On what they expect from their opponents, Eidevall said: “I think they play a really positive brand of football, they like to express themselves on the ball, they invest a lot of players in their buildup phase.
“They’re a skilful team, they’re quite enjoyable to watch when they’re playing at their best levels. Out of possession in defence they like to go out and press with intensity and really challenge the other team.
“There’s a lot of ingredients for a really exciting game.”

This is Arsenal’s first of two games this week, as they also face Manchester City in a mouthwatering league season opener this weekend.

Quizzed on how they would manage the packed schedule, Eidevall said: “Everything we’ve done in pre-season has been leading up to this point to be able to deal with this period. We’re experienced, we’re a skilled organisation in travelling with the logistics so this is really business time for us, where we put everyone’s competence into the hot seat. And we look forward to weeks like this – it’s exciting.

“We need to keep our focus on the day by day activities. Today it’s to prepare really well and have a really good training session, tomorrow it’s to play against Häcken – and after that we can look forward.

“I think if you don’t like this, you probably shouldn’t be in professional football because this is what it comes down to.

“Of course everyone feels a little bit of pressure, for me that’s not a negative thing it’s positive. I think that’s a necessity for high performance.”

One key player for the Gunners tomorrow is likely to be Mariona Caldentey. The midfielder joined this summer fresh from winning the Champions League with Barcelona. Eidevall said it has been a “privilege” to have her in the squad

“Mariona’s been a great addition to our group. Of course she’s so much coming from a culture both in Barcelona and Spain that has won so much lately and the demands that she has on herself and the players around her is a real joy to work with.”

The Gunners face BK Häcken tomorrow at 18:00 BST [19:00 CEST].