HB Koge's veteran striker Nadia Nadim wins the ball at halfway and tries to lob Arsenal goalkeeper Anneke Borba, but she doesn't get enough on her effort.

Fran Kirby
Former England forward on BBC Radio 5 Live at Meadow Park

HB Koge are pressing Arsenal, but not everyone is. So, the gaps are there for Arsenal, they'll have to attack those.

An Arsenal cross from the right is cleared to Frida Maanum inside the penalty area, and HB Koge goalkeeper Alberte Vingum is at full stretch to palm her effort away.

Fran Kirby
Former England forward on BBC Radio 5 Live at Meadow Park

These are the opportunities that Arsenal have to take. If HB Koge are trying to play out, Arsenal can be really aggressive and win the ball back, attack quickly so they can't get back to their block.

Arsenal send a warning as Chloe Kelly rifles a shot narrowly over the crossbar from the edge of the box.

The goalkeeper appeared to get fingertips to that, but a goal-kick is awarded.

Image source, Getty Images

HB Koge have started with a spring in their step - they certainly haven't travelled to London to sit back and defend for 90 minutes.

If you didn't know, Danish champions HB Koge are not a fully professional club.

Some of the players are on full-time contracts, but others are part-time.

Goalkeeper Alberte Vingum works in a bank, and defender Maria Uhre works in a theme park.

The visitors get things under way.

Arsenal lost their opening game in each of the past two Uefa Women’s Champions League campaigns: 5-2 to Bayern Munich in 2024-25, and 2-1 to Lyon in 2025-26.

However, Arsenal went on to win the competition in 2024-25 before reaching the semi-finals last season.

Ellen White
Former England striker on BBC Women's Football Weekly

It’s got to be Arsenal [who have the toughest draw]. When you’ve got Barcelona, now confirmed to be played at Camp Nou. Facing Lyon again, they faced them last year in the league phase and lost 2-1 at home. Lyon have made some additions, so that will be an exciting one.

After draws with Crystal Palace and Manchester United left Arsenal four points behind WSL leaders Manchester City after just three games, the Gunners will be desperate to get their European campaign off to the perfect start.

Tonight's match kicks off a gruelling 12-day period in which they will contest a London derby with Chelsea, a tricky Champions League tie away at Paris FC, and finally a crunch WSL clash away at defending champions Man City.

It's no exaggeration to say these four fixtures could define Arsenal's season.

Image source, Getty Images

HB Koge are a Danish club based in Koge, a port town on Denmark's east coast about 24 miles south of Copenhagen.

The club was founded in 2009 but only recently became a serious force in Danish women's football, winning four of the past six Danish top flight titles. Last season they won a league and cup double.

HB Koge are appearing in the group stage / league phase of the Women's Champions League for the second time, after making their debut in 2021-22.

That season they were eliminated in the group stage after losing all six of their games by an aggregate score of 22-2. Arsenal were responsible for eight of those goals.

HB Koge eliminated Riga FC, Hearts and PSV Eindhoven on their way to qualifying for this season's league phase.

Arsenal have won both of their previous meetings with HB Koge in the Women’s Champions League, beating the Danish side twice in the 2021-22 group stage (3-0 at home, and 5-1 away).

Bayern Munich

Bayern Munich's Linda Dallmann speaking to ESPN on Disney Plus: "To loose three points, the first half good game for us, we lost intensity in the second half, too many mistakes. At this level, you get goals against you, we have to learn from this.

"We had the chances, at the end, we had two big chances, at this level you have to score, we deserve it in the end, it's our fault."

Image source, Getty Images

Across their recent draws with Crystal Palace and Manchester United, Arsenal took a combined 47 shots and registered an expected goals (xG) rating of 4.52.

However, the Gunners managed to score just once, and that was a 94th-minute equaliser against United.

"The way we progress onto the pitch is good, the way we dominate in many ways and get the ball forward is good. But then, of course, again, the final third and the chances that we set up," Arsenal boss Renee Slegers said during her pre-match media conference.

"So we’ve looked at that again, both from a tactical, psychological, technical perspective, all of those things."

If you missed it earlier, here's a reminder of how the two teams line up at Meadow Park.

Arsenal XI: Borbe, Holmberg, Williamson, Catley, Hinds, Little, Cooney-Cross, Maanum, Kelly, Blackstenius, Foord.

Subs: Rodriguez, Damm, Fox, Wubben-Moy, Stanway, Caldentey, Smith, Reuteler, Baum, Battle, Russo, Cerci.

HB Koge XI: Vingum, Schultz, Uhre, Sorensen, Flick, Witek, Jereko, Gejl, Oyama, Nadim, Carusa.

Subs: Moller, Kozal, Sakabe, Wendicke, Thygesen, Paulson, Madsen, Oskarsdottir, Hermann, Callesen, Termansen.

Right, it's almost time for Arsenal to begin their Champions League campaign.

Renee Slegers' side went all the way and won the competition in 2024-25, before reaching the semi-finals last season.

How far will they go this year?

Lucy Ward
Former Leeds striker on Disney+

It was competitive, that's the key. You can see by the faces on the Bayern players and staff that they are disappointed with that result.

City certainly made up for their first half performance in the second. They ultimately stopped Bayern from playing.

Manchester City are the first English team to visit Bayern Munich and avoid defeat.

That's some achievement, especially considering how dominant the hosts were in the first half.

Lucy Ward
Former Leeds striker on Disney+

City will be very disappointed with their first half, happy with their second and vice versa for Bayern. A draw in the end was probably the right result. Bayern could've had it done in the first half but City stayed in it, that's what they do.