Matilda Catley's Arsenal Eye Glory Ahead Of Barcelona Champions League Final
- Ethan Wright
- 2 minutes ago
- 5 min read
Matilda Steph Catley says her Arsenal side is "calm and focused" ahead of their Sunday (AEST) meeting with reigning UEFA Women's Champions League winners Barcelona in Lisbon.
Speaking to Australian media ahead of the club's first European final since 2007, the fullback said the team had been focusing in on the preparation ahead of the game and could take learnings from their previous meetings with the Spanish champions.
Having faced the Catalans in the 2021/22 group stages (both losses for the North London side), Catley was still confident in the teams' work in the leadup.
"It's obviously very, very exciting. It's been a long two weeks of build up since our last game, which is strange for us. I feel like we're always playing every couple of days during the year. So, it has been a long couple of weeks of training and yeah, the preparations been really good. It's obviously been able to be really detailed."
"We've been working really hard and training really hard and just getting physically prepared, but also mentally prepared. So, it is a massive occasion, but we're really excited for it."
Having finished 2nd in England's Women's Super League, Catley acknowledges the "massive challenge" Barcelona brings, but spoke of a resilient team at London Colney, that plays for each other, regardless of superstar status.
"We obviously respect Barcelona a lot and what they've done over many years in the Champions League, they've obviously got some incredible players."
"But I think the team that we have this season in particular is very, very resilient. We've got superstars on our team, we've got such talented players, but I think as a team, the way we work for each other, particularly off the ball, it's not like many teams in the world can do that."
Their remarkable comeback in Lyon, having trailed 2-1 after the home leg at the Emirates Stadium to win 4-1 away from home and take the tie 5-3, capped off a season of ups and downs, featuring heavy defeats and a change of head coach, has Renée Slegers' charges hoping to avoid another second half comeback.
"We showed that in the last couple of Champions League games where we had our backs against the wall and we were able to overcome some pretty significant deficits and score goals, ,but also defend really well."
"We've had a couple of dips in form in league football and it's almost like we needed to have that in a way because we learned so much from those moments. But yeah, I think this is a special team and we have a lot of belief in what we're doing and in one another. So I think that's hard to play against."
Having competed in World Cup semi-finals and Olympics medal-matches before with the national team, Catley will be drawing on that experience ahead of the biggest game of her club career.
"I think there are moments in your football career that you can point to and say that's probably the biggest moment of my career and a lot of those come during World Cups."
"I think you can't get much more pressure than doing that on home soil in some of those games that we did throughout that World Cup."
"The pressure that you feel and how you deal with that and what you learn from those occasions, it's all invaluable."
"So coming into a game like this, I know I feel prepared. I know I've played in front of big crowds before when everything's on the line and it means everything to you."
"So it's nice to have those experiences to sort of back me up. And I know the other girls as well, a lot of them have played in massive occasions, so we're definitely not lacking on experience in moments like that. So we'll put all of that together and hopefully that will help with the performance."
After Ange Postecoglou became the first Australian manager to win a men's UEFA title this week with Tottenham, the impact of Australian success isn't lost on the World Cup captain and her teammates Kyra Cooney-Cross and Caitlyn Foord.
"Yeah, I think it's amazing. There have been other Aussies that have made it this far and that have done amazing things at Champions League level. I think for us three, they've been chipping away for a few years now especially."
"For young girls and boys in Australia, if this is inspiring for them, they can genuinely think that anything's possible and they believe in themselves, then they can get to the top. If you see there's three Australians playing in this Champions League final, then it's definitely possible for them."
"There is something special about Australians doing well on the world stage. In European football, it's so hard to be successful, especially in the Champions League and European competitions in general. I can definitely feel the love and the support."
"I've had so many messages from people saying they'll be up watching or they're actually coming over from Australia to watch the game in the stadium."
The club is ready for the do-or-die of a one game final, going for their second UEFA title in just their second attempt.
"This is the first time I've been in a Champions League final and it's the first time in 18 years the club has been there. This club is full of history, success, and wonderful stories. When you play here, you feel a real deep connection to the club, and you want to succeed and do well for the team but also what the club stands for."
"One off final, anything can happen, two amazing teams going at it. It's the best thing about Champions League football. And yeah, there's no place I'd rather be. Obviously for Australians that follow Arsenal and that follow us, it's a massive occasion and I'm sure they will be following along."
The UEFA Women’s Champions League Final between Arsenal and Barcelona kicks off at 2:00am AEST on Sunday, May 25, at the Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon, Portugal. The match will be broadcast live on DAZN worldwide.