Theres a swagger and confidence about Barcelona thats almost indescribable. Its not arrogance, its total faith that they are the best team on the planet. Its not just the results and trophies that separate the back-to-back European champions from the rest of the pack, its the style in which they dismantle teams.
World stars like Aitana Bonmati and Alexia Putellas are humble in front of the microphone and fans but have an intangible aura that makes opponents fear them before a ball is kicked. Arsenal must be remarkable to beat Barcelona – but they believe its possibleWomens Champions League scores and results80% of all televised Premier League games next season are on Sky SportsGet Sky Sports on WhatsApp | Download the Sky Sports appThey showed their brilliance by battering domestically unbeaten Chelsea 8-2 over the two-legged semi-final, have scored 44 goals in the competition so far and have a nearly fully fit squad of megastars to pick from.
Thats the task Arsenal face in Lisbon. They have to beat a team of generational talent that hasnt suffered European heartbreak for three years. The Gunners arent scared though. Seeing the squad at their London Colney training base made me believe they could end the 18-year run without a continental trophy.
The squad is confident, scrappy and, as weve seen so often this season, resilient. That was the buzz word going around camp this week. Theyve come from behind to beat Real Madrid in the quarter-finals and eight-time winners Lyon in the semis.
This teams prepared to dig deep one more time to come away from Portugal with glory. Arsenal are also the first team in Champions League history to make it to the final having entered the competition in the first qualifying round.
Theyve overcome poor spells of form, injuries and a coaching change to get back to the biggest game in club football. With players as mentally tough as the likes of Kim Little, Beth Mead, Leah Williamson and Katie McCabe they have the leadership, drive and determination to shock the champions.
And in Mariona Caldentey they have not only the WSL Player of the Year but a player that knows exactly how her old club Barcelona tick. Arsenal players told me they feel as though theyre being written off but the underdog tag is one theyre enjoying.
How they go from underdogs to top dogs will be something Renee Slegers will have had sleepless nights thinking about but itll be worth it if they pull it off. Follow live coverage of the Womens Champions League final between Arsenal and Barcelona from Lisbon on Saturday; kick-off 5pm
