Torres consider Arsenal task

The last time ASD Torres CF hosted Arsenal LFC they won 2-0 and they must hope for a repeat in Sardinia if they are to make it to their first UEFA Women's Champions League semi-final.

Arsenal won the first leg 3-1 but Sandy Maendly's 71st-minute away goal gave Torres hope. The sides met in the 2004/05 quarter-finals and in the second leg Arsenal won 4-1 to overturn their away loss; now Torres midfielder Giulia Domenichetti, who played in that tie eight years ago, is hoping the Italian side can pull off the comeback this time to go through to meet FC Rossiyanka or VfL Wolfsburg.

"Arsenal are a great team and we knew that and tried to hold our own and keep up with their rhythm," Domenichetti told UEFA.com. "However, that's hard to do over 90 minutes and we paid for mistakes at the back and a lack of incisiveness up front at times."

"But it's not all negative – 3-1 is good, we got an away goal, so it's still open. We wanted a second goal and and we looked like getting it, but maybe it was too late. We played better after it went to 3-0 as we were maybe a bit more relaxed, but we still believe we can do it and we'll try to turn it around at home."

Torres were not in action this weekend and neither were Arsenal, whose FA Women's Cup last 16 tie at Nottingham Forest LFC was postponed for the second weekend running. Kelly Smith, who limped off early in the first leg after opening the scoring, was due to miss that trip and is a doubt on Wednesday, but her fellow forward Kim Little, who got the third goal, is optimistic.

"We need to go into it confident," she said. "We've got the 3-1 victory we needed so we'll go out there going to get another victory and get through to the semis."

Last week's match was the first competitive game in charge for new Arsenal manager Shelley Kerr. But while much of the squad were unfamiliar with her, Little knows Kerr well having played alongside her for Hibernian LFC and Scotland, where she was subsequently part of the coaching team until her Arsenal appointment last month.

"She's coached me before and I played with her at Hibs and with Scotland," Little said. "She's a very passionate person who knows her stuff. She's got her Pro licence so we look forward to the rest of the season with her."