Arsenal Women face Benfica at Meadow Park tonight, and as they prepare to enter a tough clash in the UEFA Women’s Champions League, head coach Renée Slegers has called for ‘grit and fight’ from her players. The match kicks off at 8pm in Borehamwood and will be available to watch live on Disney+ for UK fans.
Arsenal come into the match on the back of a 2-1 north London derby win at Tottenham. The team sit fifth in the European league with four points, having won 1-0 at home against HB Koge and drawn 2-2 at Paris FC. Benfica are currently sitting in tenth place but will overtake them if they win.
Slegers said the main factor behind Arsenal’s derby win was intensity. “It was a really intense game. We had to fight for it. We scored first, and we came back, so that’s what makes me really proud. Now we have to make sure we follow that up,” she said at London Colney on Tuesday.
Arsenal Women vs Benfica team news: Kim Little back
Kim Little returns to the squad. Slegers confirmed that Katie Reid and Michelle Agyemang will not be back in time, while Frida Maanum is progressing, but the game comes too soon.
Taylor Hinds was a player of the match contender at Tottenham, playing a full 90 minutes for only the second time this season. Alongside Steph Catley, she linked up well on the left. Slegers has not named the same starting XI in back-to-back games this season, though, and said Arsenal will need “sharpness, quality and injections” late on against Benfica.
The referee is Ivana Projkovska of North Macedonia, who was among the officials for the 2025 Champions League final, when Arsenal beat Barcelona 1-0 in Lisbon.
Arsenal Women vs Benfica form: what to expect from the visitors
Benfica have won all four of their Campeonato Nacional Feminino games as they look to retain their title, conceding once, in Saturday’s 4-1 win over Sporting CP. In Europe, Ivan Baptista’s side won 2-1 at Juventus before losing 3-0 at home to Bayern Munich. They have made more interceptions than any other team in this season’s competition, with 33, while Arsenal have made only 13.
Slegers expects a physical, compact opponent, similar in some ways to the derby, though with some changes in personnel since last season, when Arsenal won 2-0 at the Estadio da Luz through Beth Mead and Alessia Russo. Baptista said being seen as favourites means little to him and that his team will cause Arsenal difficulties again.
The record favours the hosts. Arsenal have won 10 of their last 13 home league-phase games in the competition, including the last three, while Benfica have won only three of their last 15 away matches in the tournament.
Slegers admitted the domestic start has been tough but said it is too early to judge and that Arsenal are proud to be back on the Champions League stage. Last season they finished fifth in the league phase before reaching the semi-finals.
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