Beth Mead, a player for Arsenal, has emphasized the importance of participating in the UEFA Women’s Champions League. The Gunners have been drawn against Bayern Munich, Juventus, and Valerenga in the group stage of the tournament. Arsenal secured their place in the next stage after a 4-1 aggregate victory over BK Hacken.
Mead played a crucial role in her team’s win, scoring alongside Lia Walti, Mariona Caldentey, and Frida Maanum. Reflecting on the match, Mead expressed her belief that they could achieve a positive result as a team. She acknowledged that it was a nerve-racking day but highlighted that playing in Europe and regularly featuring in the Champions League is considered a minimum standard at Arsenal.
Following their qualification, Arsenal will play their upcoming Champions League fixtures at the Emirates Stadium. Mead expressed her excitement about playing under the lights at such an iconic venue and hoped to see many fans attend.
Mead suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury at the end of 2022 but made her return to the starting lineup last November. Since then, she has been progressing well and feels confident heading into this season’s WSL campaign.
In terms of English representation in this year’s tournament, three clubs have reached the group stage for the first time ever: Arsenal along with Chelsea and Manchester City. Chelsea will face Real Madrid, Twente, and Celtic while City will take on Barcelona, St Polten, and Hammarby.
Overall it is clear that Mead values participating in top-level European competition with Arsenal as an essential requirement for success.
