Freddie Cardy
Arsenal Women are braving the cold in the Norwegian capital Oslo as the Gunners prepare to take on Valerenga in Thursday evening’s Champions League tie.
Video: Arsenal Women brave the cold for open training before facing Valerenga on Thursday
Renee Slegers’ side have already secured qualification to the quarter-finals, but are looking to secure top spot in their group, with a home game against Bayern Munich still to come.
Valerenga finished their league season as Toppserien champions in November, and held Bayern to a notable 1-1 draw at home in their last European outing.
Arsenal midfielder Maanum, who hails from Oslo, said she is expecting a “tough and physical game” at the Intility Arena.
“I play with a few of the Valerenga girls in the national team, there’s not loads of them, but there’s a few of them. I know their strengths, I know their weaknesses as well. Obviously I try to feed that back to the coach and the players to help the team perform.
“We’ve seen clips from the game against Bayern, we played against them at the Emirates too. They’re a physical team, they never give up, they will give a hundred percent through the whole game, so we expect a physical battle.
“Obviously we want to have the ball, create a lot of chances from that, and I expect a tough game tomorrow.”
Over 1,000 away fans will cheer on Arsenal in freezing temperatures in Oslo, with hundreds of Norwegian Gooners set to join travelling supporters from England.
A ? of MD-1 training session photos in below freezing temps?? ? for @GoonerFanzine pic.twitter.com/vPGS94PAru
— Suzy (@Boodlepim) December 11, 2024
— Suzy (@Boodlepim) December 11, 2024
— Suzy (@Boodlepim) December 11, 2024
— Suzy (@Boodlepim) December 11, 2024
