Arsenal manager Renee Slegers has confirmed that England duo Alessia Russo and Chloe Kelly are back in contention for the first leg of the Champions League semifinal on Saturday against Lyon.
The pair withdrew from England’s April camp due to injuries and missed Arsenal’s 5-1 win over Leicester City in the Women’s Super League on Tuesday.
“They will be fully available, so that’s great,” Slegers told a news conference on Friday. “I think both players have been working really, really hard to get to this point with the medical team, so that’s great. So, they are available for a lot of minutes.”
Goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar remains unavailable following an ankle injury she sustained during the international window, but Slegers remains positive that her rehab is progressing well.
The second leg of the quarterfinal saw a meteoric turnaround for the north London club who over came a two-goal deficit against Real Madrid, securing 3-0 win to book their place in the semifinal.
Arsenal’s men’s team also faced Real Madrid in the quarterfinal of the Champions League, securing a 3-0 win in the first leg and defending their aggregate lead with a 2-1 win in the second leg, to see both teams into the semifinals in the same season for the first time.
“I really feel like since I’ve come to the club that it’s one club,” Slegers said. “I’ve naturally been in contact with the assistant coach on the men’s side because he’s Dutch.
“After we won against Madrid, I got messages from everyone across the club including Mikel [Arteta] and he said it was inspirational. If you look at what they did against Madrid, I think it’s so strong. I think they look [together] as a team and I think that’s why they won against Madrid, with so much individual quality.
“It’s amazing to be part of this. There was just some media here at the club as well. Jurriën Timber sitting there and he says, ‘Hey Renee, good luck for tomorrow.’
“So the guys also know what we are doing and we know what they’re doing and we support each other. So that’s great.”
Arsenal midfielder Mariona Caldentey, speaking alongside Slegers, has won the continental competition with her former club Barcelona three times, most notably last season, securing the quadruple before departing the team.
The Spain international admitted her Arsenal teammates had picked her brains ahead of the semifinal, adding that confidence is high within the squad and that she believes they have the mentality to make it to the final.
Arsenal have not been in a final since they won the inaugural title in 2006-07.
“We [the team] do speak a lot about life, about football because we spent a lot of time together, but I think the team has the [winning] mentality as well, so that’s the most important. I think that’s a bit contagious as well,” she said.
“We want to win titles, of course, Champions League, it’s a big one. We are still a bit far away right now. It’s three games for that. I think everyone is hungry so it’s a mentality we need to keep to improve every day and we are there because we deserve it alongside the four best teams in Europe.
Mariona’s role has shifted since her move to Arsenal however, this has not altered her ability or effectiveness on and off the ball.
“I’m so happy to be here. I feel at home from the first day,” she added. “Everyone helped me a lot. I thought I maybe need some time to adapt because it’s a big change for me. But to be honest, everyone on the club, on the team made that process so easy for me.
“I feel really confident I can play my football and I think that’s the best thing. That’s when you can perform when you feel yourself. And so I think I’m in the right place.
“I am where I want to be, so I just hope we keep working how we are doing and I’m sure the titles and the good moments will arrive for the club.”
