Arsenal boss Renee Slegers targeting top spot in Women’s Champions League

Renee Slegers hopes Arsenal can challenge for the top spot in Group C as they return to Champions League action against Valerenga.

The Gunners resume their Champions League campaign on Thursday with an away trip to Valerenga before hosting Bayern Munich next week.

Arsenal have already qualified for the quarter-finals and are second in Group C, one point behind Bayern who will be confirmed as group winners on Thursday if they beat Juventus and the Slegers’ side lose.

Lina Hurtig’s late goal against Juve last month helped Arsenal secure a spot in the knockout rounds after Bayern drew to Valerenga and interim head coach Slegers hopes her side can snatch first place in the remaining two matches.

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“When we got together for this block, we presented the key objectives for the block and we’re happy we qualified for Champions League,” Slegers said.

“We want to go and try and get the first spot off Bayern Munich, there’s two more games to play and we’re going to try and do everything within our control to try and get there.”

Arsenal face a tough test against Valerenga in Oslo, with the Norwegian side proving to be tricky opposition on home soil.

Valerenga were beaten 1-0 by Juventus in their opening match and held Bayern to a 1-1 draw thanks to Elise Thorsnes’ late equaliser last month, but two away losses sees them sit rock bottom of the table going into the last two fixtures.

Arsenal earned a 4-1 win in the reverse clash at the Emirates in October, but Slegers believes Valerenga will aim to “bring everything” in their final home Champions League tie of the season.

She said: “They’re a super disciplined team, whatever phase they’re in they go wholehearted and 100 per cent.

“Their high press is very aggressive, they can come down and commit a low block, get very compact and defend with 11 players and make the spaces really small.

“I think whatever they do in the game, they do it really well and they seem invested in their game plans and the togetherness of them as a team.

“It’s obviously their last (home) game for the season so I think they’re going to try and bring everything with their last push.”

Slegers also provided a team news update and confirmed that Emily Fox has travelled with the group after she was withdrawn in the 46th minute of Sunday’s 4-0 win over Aston Villa in the Women’s Super League.

The interim Arsenal boss added: “We travelled with 23 players to Norway, Kim Little didn’t travel, she’s recovering, it’s not too bad but we don’t want to take the risk. Emily Fox is with us.”