Arsenal Women travel to the city of Biella, closer to Milan than Juventus’ home of Turin, on Tuesday for a crucial Champions League group stage meeting with Le Bianconere.

The Gunners opened their group stage campaign with a heavy defeat away to Bayern Munich, but earned a 4-1 win over Norwegian outfit Valerenga in Renee Slegers’ first game in interim charge.

Slegers’ side now take on Juventus home and away either side of a league trip to Tottenham, in two games that will shape their Champions League campaign.

Beth Mead praised interim head coach Renee Slegers for “making us feel good” in her four-game unbeaten tenure in charge of Arsenal Women, saying that Slegers has taken to the job "like a duck to water"- @GoonerFanzine ??https://t.co/L0i0rabmvk

— Freddie Cardy (@CardyFreddie) November 11, 2024

Massimiliano Canzi’s side won 1-0 away at Valerenga before also tasting defeat to Bayern Munich by two goals to nil, having beaten Paris Saint Germain over two legs to qualify for the Champions League. 

Juventus sit four points clear of Fiorentina at the top of Serie A, and boast a squad full of Italy regulars as well as some names more well known to a Women’s Super League audience. Alisha Lehmann, Emma Kullberg and Hanna Bennison all swapped England for Italy in the summer.

Connections with Arsenal are also apparent, with Joe Montemurro leaving the Gunners in 2021 to take charge of Juventus. The Australian departed for Lyon at the end of last season, the first in six years in which they didn’t claim the league title, but former Arsenal goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud Magnin remains a mainstay in goal.

Interim manager Slegers told the media she is anticipating “A different kind of football than what we usually play against in the WSL.

“We're expecting them to make it really hard for us in the way they defend. I think, from a WSL perspective, it's unorthodox. They're a little bit more player-for-player in the way they play. 

“So that's a new challenge for us, and we’ve tried to prepare the girls as best as possible to be able to exploit this defending system in the best way.”

Arsenal are unbeaten in four games under the Dutchwoman, and produced their best performance of the season on Friday night, putting five goals past a hapless Brighton side at Emirates Stadium.

A superb photograph of Alessia Russo firing home for Arsenal Women's fifth goalCREDIT: Shot by Suzy Lycett for the @GoonerFanzine at the Emirates @Boodlepim pic.twitter.com/Y4JkBpnwXm

— Layth (@laythy29) November 8, 2024

Juventus’ defence will be Slegers’ primary concern, with the home side coming into the tie off the back of four consecutive clean sheets in league and cup. However, the likes of Arianna Caruso and Sofia Cantore have the tools to hurt the Gunners, who have plenty of attacking talent at their disposal.

Arsenal have won just one of their last six European away games, but will again be backed by their loyal supporters in Italy. If the Gunners can continue their form in front of goal from Friday, they will hope to rectify that worrying away record, and further their case for Champions League progression.

Directly in front of me, same pose, for a penalty - two games in a row ? ?Shot for @GoonerFanzine pic.twitter.com/ppsUE3ZBhj

— Suzy (@Boodlepim) November 9, 2024