Key events
8 mins: Arsenal win a corner on the left after Blackstenius controlled a header in the box but the Juventus defence put her under pressure and clear. The first corner produces a second, which also comes to nothing after Catley overhits her cross.
6 mins: A lovely Juventus move sees Caruso produce the nutmeg before sliding the ball out to Bonansea, who crosses for Girelli but her low shot from 12 yards is well saved by Zinsberger. A let-off for Arsenal.
4 mins: Maanum looks to slip the ball through to Blackstenius in the area but her pass is a poor one and goes out for a goal kick.
2 mins: Juventus enjoy most of the early possession but without using it particularly efficiently.
“Really great to see Leah Williamson back,” emails Charles Antaki. “The pairing of Wubben-Moy and Beattie was okay last week, but Beattie isn’t that mobile, and Wubben-Moy’s distribution isn’t as sharp or creative. A welcome return.”
Table of Contents
Kick-off
Peep! Peep! Peep! Here we go!
As Suzanne Wrack showed earlier, it is very cold in London. There is a decent enough crowd inside the Emirates for the match but I would not like to estimate how many in such a large stadium.
Just turned the Christmas tree lights off because they are reflecting off the TV. My daughter is fuming.
Dazn’s coverage on YouTube begins mid-sentence. What a weird operation this is. On the upside, the Guardian’s Anita Asante is on co-comms.
Looks warm at the Emirates.
Thermals, merino socks, waterproof insulated North Face shoes, hoodie, heated gilet, coat with zip-in layer, snood x2, hat, rechargeable hand warmers x2. Suzanne 1-0 Cold. pic.twitter.com/wIOt3sPQRu
— Suzy Wrack (@SuzyWrack) December 7, 2022
Jonas Eidevall on the match: “Everton was a good game because the way Everton play required our full focus, in order to deal with their different formations, that was good. There are similarities between Everton and Juventus and we use that in preparation, there are things we have prepared we can use for both teams. The wide players for Juventus, Beerensteyn and Bonansea, are very skilful players. They are very fast in transition and we saw that with their goal.
“Beerenesteyn is a top international player, her pace and movements in the final third is of an extremely high level and she has shown that over many years both in the Dutch National Team and at Bayern Munich and now Juventus. It doesn’t come as a surprise and it’s definitely one of the big threats we will have to handle in this game.”
Juventus’ Arianna Caruso is hoping to dent Arsenal’s Champions League hopes and boost her own side’s tonight.
“All the games from here to the end of the group are decisive that’s why our victory over Inter was so important, we had to win and that’s exactly what we did – I hope it gives us a spark,” Caruso said.
“The level in Serie A has risen and this helps because it prepares us better and allows us to take on even the toughest of Champions League opponents. Tomorrow we will need courage, we shouldn’t be afraid of anything. It will take a lot of energy and a lot of heart.”
Speaking of women’s football in Italy …
Starting lineups
Arsenal: Zinsberger; Wienroither, Williamson, Wubben-Moy, Catley; Wälti, Maanum, Miedema; McCabe, Blackstenius, Foord.
Subs: Marckese, Beattie, Rafaelle, Maritz, Iwabuchi, Nobbs, Agyemang
Juventus: Peyraud-Magnin; Lenzini, Sembrant, Salvai, Boattin; Pedersen, Grosso, Caruso; Bonansea, Girelli, Beerensteyn.
Subs: Aprile, Forcinella, Lundorf, Duljan, Gunnarsdóttir, Zamanian, Cernoia, Schatzer, Rosucci, Cantore, Bonfantini
Hello
An Arsenal win this evening would put them on the verge of qualifying for the knockout stages. They have seven points from three matches, including a 1-1 drawn in Turin against tonight’s opponents Juventus. The game tonight is being hosted at the Emirates, a fitting venue for two greats of European football.
Arsenal could be bolstered by the return to the starting XI of Leah Williamson and Rafaelle. They both started the weekend’ victory over Everton on the bench but should be fit to start this time around.
Juventus are led by head coach Joe Montemurro, known for his four years in charge at Arsenal. He won a WSL title and an FA Cup. “My return to London is great,” Montemurro said. “I had some more memorable moments here. Now I only want to see a great performance from this great Juve. We have to give it our best shot.”
Let’s hope for a cracker!
Kick-off: 8pm GMT