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Arsenal Women’s manager Renee Slegers has issued a rallying call to supporters ahead of their crucial Champions League second-leg clash against Real Madrid on Wednesday.

The Gunners will need to produce a comeback at the Emirates Stadium after suffering a disappointing 2-0 defeat at the Estadio Di Stefano in the first leg. However, their impressive home form provides hope, as Arsenal recently became the first team in Women’s Super League (WSL) history to score at least four goals in six consecutive home matches following their emphatic 4-0 victory over Liverpool. The win strengthened their grip on second place in the table and cut the gap to leaders Chelsea to just five points.

As Arsenal prepare for their European showdown, Slegers shared a heartfelt message with the club’s supporters: “Thanks for today, thanks for everything as always—through hard and good times. We have to deliver and do what we need to do regardless. But we also know and feel that, together with the fans, this place can be very special.”

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The Arsenal boss also praised her team’s relentless attacking approach after yet another dominant home performance.

“That’s great,” Slegers said with a smile. “We pride ourselves on clean sheets, so that’s very important for us as well. We try to have variety in our attacks and use set-pieces as a weapon. We want to be unpredictable in front of goal, and I’m very happy with the different ways we are scoring.”

Adding to the night’s positives, Victoria Pelova made her long-awaited return from injury, receiving a warm reception from the Emirates crowd. The 25-year-old midfielder had been sidelined for 308 days after suffering a ruptured ACL while on international duty for the Netherlands.

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“She’s been training with the group for a while now,” Slegers said. “She has worked so hard. It’s a lonely place when you’re away from the team for so long, but she had the right support from the medical and performance team, and her teammates have been there for her too. We just had to find the right moment for her to make her comeback.”

With Arsenal leading 3-0 at halftime, the stage was set for Pelova’s return. “I’m so happy for Vic. She got to do it at the Emirates, with so many fans watching. That was special.”

Now, with momentum on their side, Arsenal will turn their focus to overturning their two-goal deficit against Real Madrid as they look to keep their Champions League dreams alive.

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