5 talking points ahead of Arsenal’s Champions League final clash with Barcelona | OneFootball

Arsenal take on holders Barcelona in Lisbon on Saturday in the Women’s Champions League final.

Here, the PA news agency looks at some talking points going into the clash at Estadio Jose Avalade.

Gunners return after 18 years

Arsenal are making their second appearance in the final, 18 years on from winning the competition when it was known as the UEFA’s Women’s Cup.

As part of a quadruple in 2007, Vic Akers’ Gunners defeated Swedish outfit Umea 1-0 over two legs, Alex Scott scoring the only goal late in the first.

It remains the only time an English side have been winners – the only other time one has reached the final was when Chelsea did so in 2021, suffering a 4-0 loss to Barcelona.

Slegers success

Arsenal have made it back to the final as part of an impressive turnaround this season under Renee Slegers, who took charge – initially on an interim basis and then permanently – after boss Jonas Eidevall resigned in October.

Eidevall had overseen a 5-2 loss at Bayern Munich in first of the team’s Group C matches. They would finish them with a 3-2 come-from-behind victory over the Germans and top of the pool, and subsequently produced second-leg fightbacks to get past Real Madrid in the quarter-finals and Lyon in the semis, the latter a stunning 4-1 win in France.

Caldentey reunion

Saturday’s contest is set to see a star of Arsenal’s season go up against their old club in Mariona Caldentey.

The Spain international, recently named the Women’s Super League 2024-25 player of the year and scorer of seven goals in the European campaign, joined last summer after 10 years with Barca, during which time she won a multitude of trophies including three Champions League titles.

Arsenal also have former Barca defender Laia Codina in their ranks.

Formidable Barca

Barca, whose squad features the likes of double Ballon d’Or winners Aitana Bonmati and Alexia Putellas, are heading into their sixth final and fifth in a row, having won the last two to add to their maiden success in 2021. When the sides met in the 2021-22 group stage, the Catalans won 4-1 and 4-0.

This season Pere Romeu’s side opened their Champions League campaign with a 2-0 loss at Manchester City, but they have been in ruthless form since, thrashing Wolfsburg 10-2 and Chelsea 8-2 on aggregate in the last eight and semi-finals respectively.

When Arsenal triumphed against Umea in 2007, Slegers was a teenager coming towards the end of a brief spell with the club’s academy, while her current assistant Kelly Smith was a prolific Gunners forward.

Smith, who scored 125 goals in 144 appearances across three spells as an Arsenal player, was key in the quadruple and netted twice in the European semi-final against Brondby – but had to sit out the final due to suspension.