Arsenal Women's will crown a historic UEFA Women's Champions League night on Thursday at the Emirates Stadium when they take on Swiss side FC Zurich.
The Gunners made a statement of intent in their first group game when they hit eight-time winners Lyon for five last week and they aim to take further control of proceedings with another big three points against the side that fell to a 2-0 home defeat in match day one to Joe Montemurro and his Juventus side.
Despite the magnitude of the win achieved against serial winners Lyon in Groupama Stadium, the real history for the north Londoners was made back in 2007 when they became the first English team ever to win the competition (then known as the UEFA Women's Cup) that evaded Chelsea and Emma Hayes last year when they were beaten 4-0 by Barcelona.
Fifteen years ago, iconic full-back and now well-known broadcaster Alex Scott scored the only goal in a two-legged tie against two-time Swedish Champions Umea. With the star-studded squad available to Jonas Eidevall with Ballon d"Or nominated Beth Mead and Vivianne Miedema, the expectation is there for the high-flying Gunners to lead the English sides by going the furthest and potentially reach the final which is set to be played in Eindhoven, Netherlands.
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But first, an expected routine win against Zurich won't only help them on this path but it will mark a landmark moment for all past and present players who have donned the red and white of Arsenal on the continent over the years.
This is because this Thursday, in what would be a full-circle moment for the club having played their first ever UWCL against Swiss opposition in the form of FC Bern in 2001, an opponent from the same country will mark the 100th game in the competition for Arsenal.
Lyon are the only other club to have reached the elusive 100-game mark, meaning Arsenal will keep good company once they officially have this landmark next to their name. Currently, with 99 games played since 2001, the Gunners have won 58 games, drawn 14 and lost 27, scoring an impressive 279 goals over that period and conceding 118 in the process.
Their one and only title came from their only appearance in a final which was the aforementioned 2007 occasion. They have, however, missed out on making the grand finale on five occasions but they have made a record 14 quarter-finals in the process. Pressure will certainly be on current boss Eidevall to keep up this impressive European record.
Arsenal fans- What is your best memory of the club's association with the UEFA Women's Champions League to date? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below!
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