Three Arsenal Women’s Players Who Can Hurt Real Madrid

As Arsenal Women prepare for a blockbuster Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid, here are three players who could swing the tie in our favour.

Alessia Russo

No striker in the women’s game has been as clinical as Alessia Russo this season.

The England forward has been devastating in front of goal, her contributions proving decisive in lifting us to second in the WSL.

Russo scored twice in our 3-1 win over Everton this weekend having already scored crucial goals in wins over Bayern Munich and Tottenham this season.

Real Madrid come into this tie having conceded 10 goals in their last four games, while Russo has already scored five times in the Champions League this season.

In short, our number 23 will be licking her lips heading into this tie.

Kyra Cooney-Cross

Real Madrid are a side who like to dominate the ball.

This is unfortunate for a team that will have to come up against Kyra Cooney-Cross.

Cooney-Cross may only be 23 years old, but she is one of the most complete midfielders in the WSL.

Her perceptiveness in reading the game and prevent opposition attacks before they’ve even begun will be invaluable in this tie.

As if that wasn’t enough, when she does get the ball, it sticks to the feet of our Australian midfielder like glue.

Her close control and confident dribbling allow her to get the whole team up the pitch and bring the game to the opposition.

Daphne van Domselaar

The number 14 is reserved for the best and most important Arsenal players; Daphne van Domselaar is one of them.

Our Dutch goalkeeper has been pivotal this season, keeping clean sheets in both group matches against Juventus and both North London derby victories.

Matches in the later stages of the Champions League are often tight, tense affairs. Both of Arsenal’s knockout ties in the 2022-2023 season were decided by a single goal, so keeping Madrid at bay will be key.

In van Domselaar, we have a top quality goalkeeper who will not only protect our goal, but is also very capable when it comes to starting attacks.