We’re a long way off in 2023/24, but it’s an immediate return to action for our Gunners with a crucial clash against Paris FC as we look to qualify for the UEFA Women’s Champions League.

A solid 3-0 win against Linkoping started the season as we intend to continue it, with the majority of our new arrivals making their debuts. Now a new challenge awaits us at the Bilborsen Arena.

Supporters in the UK and Ireland can watch every moment of our qualification on Arsenal.com and the app with coverage from 1:55 p.m. GMT.

Out of the question

Our UEFA Women’s Champions League match against Paris FC was assured after beating Swedish side Linkoping on Wednesday afternoon in our first competitive match since May.

After Kim Little missed an early chance to give us the lead from the penalty spot, her tenacity and superb footwork allowed Caitlin Foord to break the deadlock in the second half.

Organized and determined Linkoping were not an easy first hurdle to overcome, but Stina Blackstenius and Lina Hurtig quickly put the game out of reach, both scoring on their return to their former club.

opposition

Paris FC, known as FCF Juvisy Essonne until 2017, have won Division 1 Féminine a total of six times, making them the second most successful team in the championship’s history behind Lyon. Their last title was in 2005/06

In terms of European success, Paris achieved their best result in 2012/13, losing to rivals Lyon in the UWCL semi-final. Our Gunners were also semi-finalists that year and were beaten by eventual champions Wolfsburg.

French star striker Kadidiatou Diani began her career at Paris FC before joining local rivals PSG. Sarah Bouhaddi, Eseosa Aigbogun and Sandrine Soubeyrand have also all played for the team.

Back to the present day, the current generation of talent is predominantly under the age of 22. Goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie had a remarkable tournament for Nigeria at this summer’s FIFA World Cup, including her penalty save against Canada’s Christine Sinclair in Nigeria’s opening group match. .

Today will be the first time that we face Paris FC in an official match.

Team News

Summer signings Cloe Lacasse, Alessia Russo and Amanda Ilestedt all started and impressed against Linkoping and Eidevall now has a decision to make regarding his attacking line against Paris FC.

Leah Williamson, Vivianne Miedema, Laura Wienroither and Teyah Goldie did not travel with the team due to injury.

Journey to the UWCL group stage

Saturday’s match is the last match of the first qualifying round and only a victory against Paris FC will allow us to progress to the second round. If the score is level after 90 minutes, the match will be decided by extra time and – if necessary – penalties.

If we beat the French, we will have to wait until September 15 to discover our next opponent. Wolfsburg, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Sparta Praha, BK Häcken and Manchester United will all qualify for the second round, alongside the 15 winning teams from the first round.

A home-and-away match against one of these teams would then prevent us from reaching the group stage of the Champions League.

What Eidevall says

“Paris have a very strong team and they are very strong on the counter-attack. We have seen them play a number of training matches here during the pre-season. They have played against international teams like Ajax and Anderlecht , so it’s clear. ensure that they are prepared for this stage of the competition.

“So we’re expecting a tough game. We know we have to be at our best. We plan to do that.” – learn more about the boss

How to watch

If you’re in the UK or Ireland, you can log into our UWCL qualification for free on Arsenal.com and our official app.

Coverage begins at 1:55 p.m. GMT (2:55 p.m. local time), with kick-off five minutes later. Max Jones and Gilly Flaherty will provide commentary duties.