Arsenal vs Wolfsburg Women's Champions League preview: Where to watch, kick-off time, starting line-ups

Arsenal and Wolfsburg meet in their UEFA Women's Champions League semi-final second leg on Monday 1 May at Arsenal Stadium.

What do you need to know?

Seriously depleted by injury and 2-0 down in the first half of the opening leg, Arsenal looked to be waving goodbye to their hopes of repeating their 2006/07 title triumph. But after those early goals from Ewa Pajor and Sveindís Jónsdóttir, the Gunners fought back to claim a 2-2 draw thanks to Rafaelle's header just before half-time and Stina Blackstenius's well-worked equaliser.

With this contest very much in the balance, Arsenal's home stadium has been confirmed as sold out, making it likely that Monday's return encounter will be the competition's biggest ever crowd outside of the Camp Nou. And the Gunners faithful will be desperate to see their team win a tie against Wolfsburg for the first time, having lost in the 2012/13 semis and last season's quarter-finals.

The Gunners remain blighted by injuries, however. The long-term absences of Beth Mead, Vivianne Miedema, Kim Little and Leah Williamson would leave a huge hole in any team, while Caitlin Foord will also miss this game. Nevertheless, Lina Hurtig has been included in the squad after sitting out the first leg and Jen Beattie – who featured in both legs of the 2012/13 quarter-final – was particularly effective in that match despite being a rare starter these days.

For their part, two-time champions Wolfsburg are missing midfielder Lena Lattwein, but Beattie's fellow 2012/13 veteran Alex Popp starts after injury kept her sidelined for the first leg.

Aiming to reach a sixth final, the German side are unbeaten in seven competitive trips to England (and London) in this competition. Above all, they will hope to avoid the quarter-final fate of compatriots Bayern, who travelled to Arsenal 1-0 up but lost 2-0.

Form guide

Arsenal
Last six games (most recent result first): DLWWWL
Last match: Wolfsburg 2-2 Arsenal, 23/04 (UEFA Women's Champions League semi-final first leg)
Where they stand: 4th in Women's Super League, League Cup winners

Wolfsburg
Last six games (most recent result first): DWWWDL
Last match: Wolfsburg 2-2 Arsenal, 23/04 (UEFA Women's Champions League semi-final first leg)
Where they stand: 2nd in Frauen-Bundesliga, German Cup final

Starting line-ups

Arsenal: Zinsberger; Maritz, Beattie, Wubben-Moy, Rafaelle; Maanum, Wälti, Pelova; McCabe, Blackstenius, Catley

Wolfsburg: Frohms; Wilms, Hendrich, Janssen, Rauch; Oberdorf, Roord; Huth, Popp, Jónsdóttir; Pajor

View from the camps

Jonas Eidevall, Arsenal coach: "It's not about me being confident or not confident; it's about believing that we can do it, and we are going to put everything out there to do it. It is one game between us and a dream so let's bring everything we have onto the pitch and leave it there.

"Our fans have been nothing short of brilliant this season. At times when it has been tough results-wise, they have never gone quiet. They have always been there supporting us; they have been absolutely magnificent. If they can be just as magnificent [on Monday], that is going to be a big boost for us."

Tommy Stroot, Wolfsburg coach: "We are prepared for anything. There will be different phases that can change at any moment. We are aware that the difference between how Arsenal play at home and away can be quite large."

Lotte Wubben-Moy, Arsenal defender: "I think exciting doesn't do it justice. I don't think any amount of words will be able to do that justice. There are a lot of feelings, a lot of sentiment, a lot of hard work that's gone into this and a lot of people will see this final end product of a sold-out stadium, but I think for me and for everyone at the club, it's about the process."

Jen Beattie, Arsenal defender: "We've absolutely loved every game we've played at [Arsenal Stadium] ... The atmosphere's been incredible. Even the away fans that travelled [in the first leg were] unbelievable, especially hearing them towards the end of the game. I've no doubt they'll be unbelievable again for us."

Felicitas Rauch, Wolfsburg defender: "Two or three years ago we didn't play in front of this sort of crowd. You learn to deal with it and learn to draw energy from it, to let the adrenaline flow. You feel alive and you remember why you play football. To be able to experience that is an incredible privilege.

"We know how much Poppi helps us, even when it comes to us all going beyond our pain limits. It's incredibly important, but she doesn't have to take all the responsibility. We have a lot of girls in our ranks who can do that – I count myself among them."

Where is the 2023 UEFA Women's Champions League final being played?

UEFA

Eindhoven's PSV Stadium will stage the 2023 UEFA Women's Champions League final at 16:00 CET on Saturday 3 June.

First opened in 1910, the 35,000-capacity PSV Stadium has a long history of hosting major matches, including the UEFA Cup finals of 1978 (second leg) and 2006, the second leg of the 1988 UEFA Super Cup and three games at UEFA EURO 2000.

On 6 April 2018, 30,238 fans at the home of PSV Eindhoven watched the Netherlands beat Northern Ireland on the way to the FIFA Women's World Cup, a record crowd for any UEFA-organised women's qualifier. On 1 June 2019, a then Dutch-record women's football attendance of 30,640 saw the Netherlands face Australia in a friendly at the stadium.