Renée Slegers has urged her Arsenal side to “take the opportunity by the throat” when they host Olympique Lyonnais in the first leg of their UEFA Women’s Champions League semi-final on Saturday.
The Gunners slipped to a 2-0 loss on a boggy pitch at the Estadio Alfredo di Stefano in the first leg of their quarter-final tie against Real Madrid, before a stunning comeback at the Emirates Stadium saw them progress as 3-2 aggregate winners.
“We don’t wait for anything tomorrow,” Slegers insisted in her pre-match press conference, adding that “we’re going to go, and go 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.”
As the Gunners prepare to welcome the eight-time UWCL champions to North London, there’ll be a reunion on the touchline as Joe Montemurro returns to his former club. The Australian – now at Lyon – spent four seasons as Arsenal’s head coach between 2017 and 2021, and mentored Slegers as part of a UEFA programme.
The former Dutch international explained: “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.”
But there’ll be no time for sentiment on Saturday, Slegers expressed, as the Gunners come up against a side that is “very experienced” in the latter stages of European competition.
“They’ve been here many times before, so we have huge respect for the players and their history. But we’re happy that we’re here, that we put ourselves in this situation, and this is exactly where we want to be.”
Arsenal host Olympique Lyonnais in the first leg of their UEFA Women’s Champions League semi-final at Emirates Stadium on Saturday 19 April, with kick-off at 12:30 BST [13:30 CEST].