After an enthralling first leg in Germany, Arsenal Women and Wolfsburg go head to head on Bank Holiday Morning with everything to play for and a Champions League final up for grabs.

Speaking after the draw against Wolfsburg in the first leg, Arsenal midfielder Lia Walti reflected on how her side managed to turn the game around after falling 2-0 down midway through the first half. “You know what it’s so hard, I think at the minute we have so many girls sitting at home watching us- they wanted to play here, they got injured really badly and it makes the team stick together even more.”

“We know everybody has to be on the highest level to be able to perform in these big games and I think everybody works fucking hard from Stina up top, she is making the pressing so much easier for us behind her. Everybody who steps into roles like Jen Beattie (the player of the match I’ve just got told), she hadn’t had many minutes in the game but she is ready and I think that is very incredible at the minute of the team that no matter who is playing we all know what to do and go for each other, and I get goosebumps! It’s just amazing and I’m so so proud of that result but again we have the second leg next week and we want to go to the final”.

The Swiss midfielder pointed to her arm in the mixed zone to show us that she really did have goosebumps when talking about her team’s collective effort to take a 2-2 draw back to the Emirates. When the prospect of a packed (now sold out) Emirates Stadium was raised, Walti discussed the emotions that she feels when her side play at the 60,000 seater ground.

“Goosebumps as well! I think it’s just so exciting. I think we’re still not used to playing in front of so many people, so it is a very special occasion for us- really exciting to have hopefully the whole stadium behind us, to hear them, the noise and it’s going to give us that extra boost we hopefully need to go in the final”.

With recent injuries, Arsenal’s tactics have been forced to adapt and develop to accommodate changes of personnel and losses of key players. Against Wolfsburg in the first leg, this meant for something of a counter-attacking strategy. Walti: “We’re great on counter attacks at the minute, we can switch on really quickly when we win the ball which is at the minute probably our solution to score goals against these teams.”

However, the midfielder also believes that some things can be more important than formations and tactics. “I think in the end it’s about how we stick together as a team- we say it doesn’t matter what system we play, what formation we play against who we play it’s about us, it’s about the intensity we can bring on the pitch and I think [in the first leg], you know what, we did a mistake, conceded the second goal, it was really shit in that moment but we didn’t give up, we didn’t slow down the game we tried to get our chances and I think in the end we also deserved the draw so I think it’s a huge shift from everybody to be proud of”.

Arsenal host Wolfsburg on Monday at Emirates Stadium, with a full preview to come here on the Gooner Fanzine website.