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24 min: Lemey collects the ball after a shot comes in following another bit of sloppy play at the back, if they continue to do that in this fixture they will be punished once again by the hosts.
22 min: FC Twente lose it at the back, they have been so sloppy in that area, and Russo has a chance but it’s blocked. The Gunners continues to push and they want a free kick as Smith is fouled but it isn’t given, that really should have been a free kick. Smith is okay to continue though.
20 min: Oh actually it’s a throw in but Hinds has a good delivery as the Gunners look to capitalise on their extended momentnum. However, FC Twente do well to muscle the ball back to clear the danger.
19 min: Since scoring the goal it has been all Arsenal, the visitors are really struggling to get a grip on this fixture. Mead, the scorer of the goal, has won a corner.
17 min: Arsenal’s build-up play is so impressive as Smith pops it into the box but Knol sees it clear.
15 min: Hinds is on her feet but she doesn’t look comfortable, however she is going to continue.
14 min: Arsenal are pressing the pressure button and they wanted a free kick with Hinds down but it isn’t given. The England international remains on the ground though and she needs some medical assistance
12 min: It will be interesting to see how FC Twente respond now, so far they have been a bit loose at the back since Mead scored. If they concede again in quick succession it will be a mountain to climb.
Caldentey won it in a great position and she fed Russo. The England international finds her compatriot Mead and she slots it in the bottom right corner.
GOAL! Arsenal 1-0 FC Twente (Mead, 10)
That was too easy.
10 min: Just as I say defences aren’t easily broken down, FC Twente’s melts away as Mead has a great effort but it is cleared off of the line by Knol, a great bit of defence. The Arsenal star believes it went over the line but we play on.
8 min: A bit of a slow start to this one if we are completely honest. Both respective defences proving tricky to break down.
6 min: Arsenal have the first shot of the game and it came from a rapid attack. They thread it beautifully through the team but Caldentey’s effort is over the bar.
4 min: There’s a lot of play in the midfield at the moment with FC Twente finding it difficult to turn their possession into a real chance.
2 min: Charles has got in touch and emailed
Arsenal fans will be clutching their rabbit’s feet, four leaf clovers and horseshoes, in the hope that not only Leah Williamson gets on, but doesn’t break anything (and shows that she’s lost nothing of her magisterial presence on the field). Things need to turn around, and perhaps this is the pivot on which the season swings back upwards. All pray.
Williamson returning is a huge positive for the Gunners, we will probably see her around the 80th minutes. On pitch both sides are just finding their feet in this fixture.
Kick-off: Arsenal 0-0 FC Twente
Here we go.
I would love to hear from you. Snack chat is always welcome here but if you have any other topics or football-related questions send me an email.
Arsenal have had an up and down season but they won their last match against Liverpool. Have a read of the report:
In the early kick-off today Juventus have beaten St Polten 5-0 with Cristiana Girelli scoring two penalties. The result takes the Italian club to top of the table, while St Polten are 17th.
Arsenal manager Renée Slegers said of FC Twente: “I think the Dutch always play with a lot of aggression and rarely shy away from big moments, so that’s going to be interesting to play against. We’re very respectful of our opponents and think it’s going to be a good game. It’s also going to be special for me to play against a Dutch team.”
A fun fact for you, Renée Slegers is the first Dutch manager to come up against a club from the Netherlands in the Women’s Champions League.
Corina Dekker, Twente coach, has said ahead of the fixture: “We want to show what we can do [in this competition], and on the whole we’re doing well. That is again the aim for this match against Arsenal: to show who we are and demonstrate our character. It’s about what we do with the ball, not losing it too quickly, and making good use of the space we create.”
Have a listen to the women’s football weekly here:
As you may have noticed, Leah Williamson is on Arsenal’s bench. She is set to play a “few minutes” this evening, according to Arsenal manager Renée Slegers. It will be the first time she has played since the 2025 Euros final because she sustained a knee injury at the major tournament.
FC Twente’s team news has dropped. Former Arsenal player Jill Roord starts in the midfield.
FC Twente: Lemey, Van der Vegt, Knol, Carleer, Tuin, Van Ginkel, Roord, Groenewegen, Oude Eiberink, Ravensbergen, Proost.
Bench: Bussman, Abali, Hulst, Vliek, Andradóttir, Te Brake, Verdaasdonk, Ivens, Gelevert
The team news is in. With Daphne van Domselaar out injured, Arsenal Anneke Borbe starts in goal and Leah Williamson has been named on the bench. Williamson would make her first appearance of the season if introduced.
Arsenal: Borbe, Hinds, Wubben-Moy, Catley, McCabe, Cooney-Cross, Caldentey, Pelova, Mead, Smith, Russo.
Bench: Liddiard, Fox, Williamson, Harwood, Little, Maanum, Foord, Blackstenius.
I am searching for FC Twente’s team news now and I will drop it in as soon as I have it.
Preamble
Hello and welcome to the Women’s Champions League match between Arsenal and FC Twente. A win is crucial for each club this evening but for very different reasons.
Three points for the visitors FC Twente would see them close in on a play-off spot as they are currently 14th, if they stay in their current position they will be out of the European competition. This is one of their last chances to boost the optics of them progressing as after this evening there is just one round left of the league stage.
For Arsenal, meanwhile, a win could potentially move them into the top five (depending on other results in this round of fixtures). It would be a boost for their season after disappointing performances in the Women’s Super League seeing them fourth in the domestic table.
We will hear from both teams before kick-off and the team news will be dropping shortly so stay tuned.
