LONDON -- Arsenal boss Renee Slegers said she believes the home support at the Emirates Stadium for their Champions League quarterfinal second leg against Real Madrid on Wednesday could have a huge impact on the tie, as the Spanish side aren't accustomed to playing in front of large crowds.
While Madrid's men's side are historically one of the most successful teams in history with a record 15 Champions League titles, their women's side was formed only in 2020 and are yet to win a major trophy.
They have been a distant second to Barcelona in each of the last five seasons and lie seven points behind them this year. The Catalan side, who beat Madrid 8-1 on aggregate in their recent Copa de la Reina semifinal, are yet to lose a game to them.
Madrid have never played at the Bernabéu Stadium, with the 6,000-capacity Alferdo di Stefano Stadium serving as their home. However, it was at the Di Stefano where they inflicted a 2-0 defeat on Arsenal and moved a step closer to a maiden Champions League semifinal appearance.
With the second leg to be played at the 60,000-capacity Emirates Stadium, Slegers believes the strength of the home support on Wednesday could give her side an edge.
"It [impact of fan support] is going to be huge because I also think in LaLiga [Liga F] and the stadiums and the atmospheres that Real Madrid plays in, it's not the same," Slegers told a news conference after Arsenal's 4-0 win over Liverpool in the Women's Super League on Saturday.
"So it can be very overwhelming and intimidating for a team to come here when they see us on the pitch in red and then with all the fans behind us.
"So if it can come from all directions to Real Madrid, then I think the fans are definitely a part of that."
There were over 30,000 in attendance for Saturday's win at the Emirates, and one of the loudest cheers of the evening came in the closing stages when Victoria Pelova came off the bench. It was the Netherlands international's first Arsenal appearance in nearly a year after suffering an anterior cruciate injury last summer.
"I am so happy ... finally," Slegers said of Pelova's return.
"She's worked so hard and it's lonely to do that even though she has had great support from the medical and performance staff and teammates as well. But that's not where you want to be if you love football so much and that's what she does.
"So now she has worked really hard and she's been in the squad now a couple of games and I think we've slowly brought her back into this moment. So I'm happy that the team set the game up so she could come on and that it happened at the Emirates with so many fans clapping for her."