Arsenal aim to relive final triumph

Final success
A goalless draw at Meadow Park in April 2007 gave Arsenal a 1-0 aggregate final victory against the Swedish side, sealing them the trophy for the first time. Last season Arsenal fell at this stage to Olympique Lyonnais, and the French side also beat them to first place in their second qualifying round group meaning the English champions face a tough test against two-time winners and five-time finalists Umeå.

Home support
Home captain Faye White, injured for the 2007 final, is well aware of the challenge Arsenal face. "They are the Swedish champions and we know from our campaign two years ago that they're a tough side to beat," the defender said. "They've got a great squad but we do too and while there are no easy ties at this stage we feel confident we can take the advantage at Borehamwood on Thursday. I also hope that a good crowd will get there to cheer us on, the team really appreciate the support and atmosphere, especially at big fixtures such as this one."

Cup defeat
The Gunners have been out of action since 19 October, when they beat Leeds Carnegie LFC to maintain their perfect start to the English season and record their 100th straight FA Women's Premier League game without defeat. While Arsenal's League Cup tie at Leicester City LFC was rained off at the weekend, Umeå missed out on a chance to complete the Swedish double as they lost the cup final 1-0 after extra time to Linköpings FC.

Marta question
It is another potential loss, that of FIFA Women's World Player of the Year Marta, that has been the main concern at Umeå lately as they await news for whether the Brazilian will join Los Angeles Sol in the new American professional league for 2009. The striker has travelled to England, but was taken off after 90 minutes against Linköping due to a hip problem.

Jeglertz confident
"Marta will be treated by our physiotherapist on Wednesday, and if needed also on the day of the match," Umeå coach Andrée Jeglertz told uefa.com. "Apart from that, we're looking in better shape than I feared after Saturday's cup final which took a physical toll on the players." Jeglertz's team lost last season's UEFA Women's Cup final to 1. FFC Frankfurt, and Arsenal are the only club apart from the German giants to defeat Umeå at that stage. "They're still a very good team," Jeglertz added. "But we're better than we were a year and a half ago."