Arsenal kick off their Champions Group League stage this evening (Tuesday) against defending champions Barcelona away from home.


Manager Jonas Eidevall has won all nine of his games in charge so far but despite playing Chelsea this is without doubt the toughest test so far.


Barcelona beat Chelsea 4-0 in last seasons final and also won the league by 25 points, so far this season, they have won all five of their league games scoring 35 goals and conceding only once.

Simone Boye Sorensen and Malin Gut are the Gunners only absentees for the game as Eidevall has an otherwise fully fit squad to select from.

Arsenal are also joined in the group by Hoffenheim and Danish side Køge with the two top going through into the next round as the start of a new UEFA Women’s Champions League format begins.

The teams do have previous history as they met in the competition in 2012 and Arsenal came out on top 7-0 on aggregate.

They won the first leg away from home 3-0 with goals from Jennifer Beattie, Jordan Nobbs and Katie Chapman and then won the home leg 4-0 with a hat-trick from Scottish international Beattie and a goal from Kim Little.

Eidevall said: "It's important to emphasise Barcelona is the best team - and I mean team in capital letters - the way they are playing and especially in offence.

"Of course this is what drives us, to see how good we can be and how close we are to the best in the world.

"We are confident we can compete and that's the mindset we have, to do our best.

"We know it's a very good team we are playing against but they're human, just like we are.

"They will make mistakes just like we will. We will need to be our best version.

"I'm looking forward to the challenge. I have belief in this team.

"We have scored not less than three in any game we have played so far, which is quite impressive.

"It's a very good football team but they are also beatable. It's 11 humans against 11 humans.

"In Sweden we say 'a shovel is a shovel'. And a football game is a football game.

"I'm really looking forward to the challenge, with no fear at all."

The game takes place at 8pm UK time at the Estadio Johan Cruyff but for UK viewers the match is being shown live and free on the DAZN YouTube channel.