Ahead of Arsenal’s decisive second leg UWC: quarter-final clash against Real Madrid, Arsenal manager Renée Slegers and vice-captain Leah Williamson addressed the media at London Colney.

There was a calm confidence to both Slegers and Williamson who stressed the importance of preparation, belief, and composure. While acknowledging the scale of the challenge, both made it clear that the focus in inward, on Arsenal’s own identity and execution. With key players returning and lessons learned from past comebacks, there’s a quiet determination within the camp.

Here are some standout moments from their press conference that set the tone for tomorrow’s high-stakes encounter.

No change on team news, a strong squad are ready

Slegers confirmed that only Lotte Wubben-Moy is unavailable for tomorrow’s game after she trained individually today. But made it clear that with this almost full-squad ready to go, she feels confident. She told The Gooner:

“When we are at our best, we have a lot of different threats and in different places on the pitch and that's when we create dilemmas for opposition… everyone on the pitch is important to create those dilemnas.”

An almost full Arsenal squad in training ready for tomorrow’s UWCL quarter-final against Real Madrid@GoonerFanzine pic.twitter.com/LcqhQvOL7X

— Isobel Gilligan (@isobelgilligan) March 25, 2025

Victoria Pelova is back – but Arsenal will be cautious

Slegers spoke to the press regarding Victoria Pelova’s recent return to the pitch and how her fitness is progressing.

“Of course she comes back from a longer-term injury. She made her comeback, and she did great. I’m very happy for her. We just have to find the right trajectory for her to come back and then keep her healthy and gradually bring her back into the team. So, she’s definitely available, that’s why she’s in the squad.” 

The Emirates is where magic happens

Williamson told the press her thoughts on the Emirates’ atmosphere and the part it could play in tomorrow’s match. 

“I think us together, with the fans, when we are at our best, we can create something magical, and they can give us that extra push. So everything is set up for us to perform, and then it’s still about ourselves and what we bring to the game.”

Arsenal won’t panic chasing a two-goal deficit

When asked whether it was more important to come out all guns blazing, or be patient and attack more in the second half, Slegers responded:

“In an ideal world, I have a picture in my head of what happens across those 90, 100 minutes. But we also have to plan for multiple scenarios. The one thing that I know we are going to be and have to be, is calm and composed, and we have to believe throughout the whole game that we can do it.”

The Wolfsburg comeback still fuels belief

Williamson reflected on the Bayern Munich and Wolfsburg comebacks in 2022/23 and how the team’s experiences in those games could help tomorrow:

“Good things happen in football, bad things happen in football. And when the good things happen, you keep them in your pocket just as much as the bad, and you call on them when you need them. So I think anyone that was involved in that game will take confidence from that, knowing that we know how to do it, almost in an identical situation.”

Arsenal’s strength lies in looking inward 

When asked what makes this Arsenal side so good at bouncing back, Williamson told the media about how they unify during tough moments:

“When you end up in a situation like that, there’s a deficit or you’re trailing in a game, we look at ourselves first. I do think that that is the case. The team is very good at doing that, problem-solving, staying together and then doing more.” 

Arsenal trail 2-0 from the first leg, but if this press conference is anything to go by, there is no shortage of belief, accountability or tactical clarity going into Wednesday night at the Emirates.