UEFA have published the Arsenal squad registered for the Champions League Qualifying Round 1 that will take place next week in Linköping, Sweden.
- Beth Mead makes a surprising return to the Arsenal squad for the Champions League Qualifying Round 1.
- The 25-player A list for Arsenal is not yet final; additional players can still be registered until 5th September.
- The Arsenal squad appears strong, particularly in attack, and is fully capable of challenging in the upcoming fixtures against Linköping and Paris FC or FC Kryvbas.
There is a semi-surprise with Gio being named in the squad, as speculation that she will go on loan is strong.
It could still happen, as transfer windows around the globe are not all closed.
It is important to note that the 25-player A list is not final for this round, as clubs can still register two players until the 5th September.
Arsenal have currently registered a 22-player squad
- Goalkeepers (3): 1. Zinsberger, 14. D’Angelo, 40. Williams.
- Defenders (6): 3. Wubben-Moy, 5. Beattie, 7. Catley, 16. Maritz, 27. Codina, 28. Ilestedt.
- Midfielders (4): 10. Little, 12. Maanum, 13. Wälti, 22. Kühl.
- Forwards (9): 9. Mead, 15. McCabe, 17. Hurtig, 19. Foord, 20. Gio, 21. Pelova, 23. Russo, 24. Lacasse, 25. Blackstenius.
As per the UEFA regulations, Arsenal have reached the minimum club-trained players registered (3). They actually have four: Williams, Wubben-Moy, Little, and Beattie.
They also have two association-trained players in Mead and Russo.
That means they can register the full 25-player squad if they want, as they have six association-trained players as per the required UEFA numbers.
Now, if we look at the numbers by position, the squad is heavily weighted towards attack.
You would expect at least one extra defender and one extra midfielder to be added.
We also know that Katie McCabe is used very often at left-back, and Victoria Pelova is a midfield player.
Overall, it is a very solid squad that is definitely capable of winning the semi-final against Linköping and the final versus Paris FC or FC Kryvbas.
Considering the full squad will have only trained for a week together, I would expect at least nine of the 11 players starting against Linköping to have been present last season, and most of the new recruits to be used as a substitute during the game.