Key Takeaways
- Stina Blackstenius has signed a new contract with Arsenal this week
- The Gunners face Olympique Lyonnais in the Champions League semi-final first leg on Sunday at the Emirates Stadium
- Blackstenius and Alessia Russo have formed a strong attacking partnership this season
Arsenal are preparing for a familiar challenge. The women’s team will face Olympique Lyonnais in the Champions League semi-finals for the second year running. This match comes after the club announced that striker Stina Blackstenius has committed her future to the team.
The Gunners are the current champions. They won the trophy last year when they beat Barcelona in Lisbon. Blackstenius scored the winning goal in that final.
The Swedish forward has a strong record in important matches. She has played in four finals for Arsenal and won them all. She scored in three of those games.
“I really love winning with this team. I will do anything to make that happen,” she said before Sunday’s first leg.
“As a striker, you always want to score. Big games feel special.”
Arsenal have an excellent home record under their manager Renee Slegers. They believe they can win even though they lost the first leg against Lyon last year. They came back to win the second leg in France against the eight-time European champions.
Last year, Arsenal were the underdogs. Now they are the champions and other teams want to beat them.
“It has not changed anything that we are the holders,” Blackstenius said. “We know we can do it. If we did it once, we can do it again.”
“We have confidence in this team. I do not feel more pressure now than last season. We work hard to reach the final. That is our only goal.”
“We have grown since last season. We came back against Real Madrid and Lyon away from home. That gave us lots of confidence. When we play our best football, people can always count on us.”
Blackstenius plays alongside Alessia Russo. Russo is the top scorer in this season’s Champions League with eight goals in ten games.
The two forwards work well together. They have trained with assistant coach Kelly Smith, who was a famous striker.
“Kelly has played a big part in our work. We spend time in training to build our relationship. It works really well,” Blackstenius said.
“We are different players. We give the team different things. That quality makes us good because we offer different options against different teams.”
“Alessia and I complement each other. I like to run deep and stretch the defence. I make runs into the box to create space for myself and others. That is my role.”
“Alessia is very good with the ball. She sets up players in good positions. We help each other and make life hard for defenders. I enjoy playing with her. We want to keep improving.”
Arsenal wanted Blackstenius to sign a new deal because they need different options in attack.
“This is a special club,” she said. “I joined four and a half years ago. So much has happened since then.”
“It is a fun league to play in. The supporters are great. The players and staff form a good group. This place feels like home.”
“We want to win trophies and compete in every competition. The club keeps growing. You can see where we are going.”
The Champions League final will take place in Oslo on May 23. Arsenal hope to reach that final. Blackstenius could play a big part in helping them get there.