With the tie finely poised at 2-2, Arsenal Women and Ajax Vrouwen will battle it out for a place in the UEFA Women’s Champions League group stage when they face off on Wednesday.
Ajax, who have home advantage, have only lost one of their five competitive matches this season, while Arsenal have won their opening two league games by a 4-0 scoreline.
Prior to this season, Ajax last competed in the Champions League in the 2020-21 season before a group phase had been introduced to the tournament.
As a result, the Dutch side are looking to reach the group stage for the very first time, and they have a real chance of doing so after beating Eintracht Frankfurt in the first round of qualifying before drawing 2-2 with Arsenal last week.
Romee Leuchter gave Ajax the lead in the first leg, but goals from Stina Blackstenius and Kim Little looked to have secured Arsenal a precious victory.
However, Leuchter proved to be Ajax’s hero as she netted her second goal of the game, ensuring that the tie remains on a knife-edge ahead of the second leg.
With no league game at the weekend, Ajax have had a week to prepare for the second leg, and they will hope that their fresher legs can give them an edge over the Gunners.
Meanwhile, Arsenal are looking to reach the Champions League group stage for the second straight season after being involved in a group alongside the likes of Barcelona and Hoffenheim last term.
The Gunners finished behind Barcelona to reach the quarter-finals where they were subsequently eliminated by Wolfsburg, but before they can worry about qualifying for the knockout stages this time around, they must secure a place in the group stage.
Although Arsenal failed to hang onto their 2-1 lead last week, they can take confidence from their opening two league games, which both resulted in comfortable victories.
After thrashing Brighton & Hove Albion 4-0 in their opening WSL match, the Gunners replicated that scoreline against Tottenham Hotspur in Saturday’s North London derby thanks to a Vivianne Miedema brace and goals from Beth Mead and Rafaelle.
Arsenal will hope that they can continue their impressive goalscoring form on Wednesday, although three defeats in their previous five Champions League away games will be a cause for concern.
Ajax Vrouwen Women’s Champions League form:
WWD
Arsenal Women form (all competitions):
WWLWD
Arsenal Women Women’s Champions League form:
D
Arsenal Women form (all competitions):
WDW
We say: Ajax Vrouwen 1-2 Arsenal Women
Ajax demonstrated last week that they can compete with the Gunners, but we think that Arsenal’s extra-quality will shine through on Wednesday to help the WSL side claim a narrow victory.