Arsenal Women host Benfica on Wednesday at 8pm at Meadow Park in Borehamwood, with both teams looking to strengthen their position in the UEFA Women’s Champions League. Arsenal sit fifth in the standings on four points after two matches, while Benfica are 10th after beating Juventus and losing to Bayern Munich.
The game matters because it could change the early balance of the table. Arsenal can improve their place at home, while Benfica would move above them with a win. It also comes with a familiar backdrop: Arsenal’s home record in the UWCL group-league stage has been strong, with 10 wins from 13, and each of their last six home matches in the competition has been decided by one goal.
What Arsenal and Benfica bring into the match
Arsenal arrive after a 2-1 north London derby win on Saturday, a result that should give Renée Slegers’ side some momentum going into another important European night. Slegers said Benfica have their own identity and pointed to last season’s meeting in Portugal, when Arsenal had to work hard before winning 2-0 at the Estadio da Luz.
She also noted that Benfica have already shown they can compete at this level against Juventus and Bayern. In her view, they bring a compact and robust structure, and their recent run has shown how difficult they can be to break down.
Benfica come into the match with confidence from domestic and European results. On Saturday, they beat Sporting CP 4-1 at home, and they had conceded just once in Portugal’s top flight in 2026/27. That kind of form suggests they will not be overawed by the trip to north London.
Benfica expect a tough test, but not a one-sided one
Ivan Baptista accepted Arsenal’s status as favourites to control the game, but said that means little to him as a coach. He believes Benfica can create difficulties for Arsenal, just as they did a year ago in Lisbon, and expects a good contest.
That is the clearest reason this match stands out in the UWCL schedule. Arsenal have the stronger home record and the higher points total right now, but Benfica have already shown enough in Europe to suggest they can challenge for another result. With the standings still tight, Wednesday’s match could have an immediate effect on both teams’ outlooks heading deeper into the group stage.
