Arsenal boss Renee Slegers said playing the second leg of their Champions League quarterfinal second leg against Real Madrid at the Emirates Stadium will boost her side's chances of qualification, as it is "easier [to play] on a golf course than on rocks."
Slegers' remarks are in reference to the much-criticised pitch conditions during the first leg of the tie in Madrid, where heavy rain left the Estadio Alfredo di Stefano surface severely muddied. Former Arsenal striker and pundit Ian Wright dubbed the pitch a "disgrace" on Instagram as the north London side stumbled to a 2-0 defeat.
"We have a style of play where we want to be on the ball a lot, where we want to move the ball ... passes, and of course it's going to be easier on a golf course and on rocks," Slegers told a news conference on Tuesday.
"But we have to deal with any circumstance and if the competition rules say that this pitch is clear to play, then we have to play on it and we have to deal with it. But yeah, we like good pitches of course. I think any team does."
"I think us together with the fans, when we're at our best, we can create something magical and they give us that extra edge. So we really thrive at the Emirates, so everything is set up for us to perform, but then it's still about ourselves, what we bring to the game tomorrow," she added.
The Champions League is Arsenal's only realistic chance of winning silverware this season following exits from both domestic cup competitions. While they are second in the Women's Super League, they trail leaders Chelsea by eight points with five matches left.
The north London side bounced back from their disappointment in Madrid with a comprehensive 4-0 win over Liverpool on Saturday. In doing so, they became the first team in WSL history to score at least four goals in six successive home matches.
They'll be looking for similar home comforts on Wednesday.
"It's the biggest week I suppose that we've had in terms of staying in, or biggest month we've had competitions, knockout competitions. This game's no different," captain Leah Williamson said.
"So I think the work that we've done, you can see a direction that we're going in and we need to make results matter and count for us always as a football club. So the focus never shifts, but we can't think about those sorts of things. We just focus on the task in hand and the next game. And we're always trying to win obviously"