Renee Slegers defends Arsenal amid 'very hard dilemma' over fixture clashes | OneFootball

Women’s Champions League clash will need to move after Carabao Cup date set

Slegers is in interim charge of the Arsenal Women’s team

Arsenal FC via Getty Images

Arsenal Women interim head coach Renee Slegers has defended the club after they were forced to rearrange her side’s Champions League clash with Bayern Munich at Emirates Stadium to accommodate the men’s Carabao Cup quarter-final.

That game, however, needs a new venue or date after the EFL announced on Wednesday that Arsenal’s quarter-final with Crystal Palace will take place then.

There is the added complication that the game cannot be moved to Thursday, as Tottenham are hosting Manchester United in their Carabao Cup quarter-final then and Spurs and Arsenal are not allowed to play major games at home on the same evening for policing reasons.

Arsenal Women must now find a new date or venue for their match with Bayern and the club are in talks with UEFA.

Moving the game to the Tuesday looks difficult as the final matches in Champions League groups must kick off at the same time. As a result, Juventus and Valerenga would have to move their game to Tuesday, too.

Arsenal could look to move the game against Bayern to another stadium in London or Meadow Park in Boreham Wood, which is where they play their domestic cup games. The ground does not meet UEFA requirements, but it is possible the governing bodies gives dispensation in these circumstances.

The Gunners have been at the forefront of growing the women’s game and took the decision to make Emirates Stadium the main home for their women’s team this season.

They are due to host Brighton in the Women’s Super League on Friday night and over 20,000 tickets have been sold.

Slegers, who is in interim charge after Jonas Eidevall resigned last month, believes it important Arsenal’s work to grow the game is not forgotten in the fallout from this fixture clash.

“I understand it’s a question, and I understand that it’s being discussed in the media, as well,” she said.

“I think it’s been a very hard dilemma for the club, two great teams competing in competitions.

“But I think what Arsenal has been doing well is pushing the growth of women’s football for a very long time.

“So, I think this is a bump on the road, but what Arsenal has done for women’s football over time is very strong.

“We look forward to playing against Bayern Munich, having a Champions League night either way. “I think the girls are comfortable at Emirates Stadium as well. Boreham Wood has felt like a home for a long time and Emirates Stadium feels like a home as well, so we just look forward to playing these games and we’ll see where we will play it.”

Create a FREE account to continue reading

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.