RS: They're not back yet, and it's the same as for the last game. Frida's progressing well too, but tomorrow will come too soon. Kim Little is back in the squad.

on if Katie is struggling:

RS: We'll see. She's, of course, coming back from a long-term injury. So hopefully everything's okay and we'll do some assessment.

on if Catley and Hinds playing together is a long-term solution:

RS: I think they did incredibly well in the game. I think it played out the way we wanted it to, and credit to the players on the pitch for getting it so right and doing their role with so much conviction and quality. So I think the left side in particular had a really good game, but us as a collective, I think the way we play with intensity, with fight in the game, with the grittiness that is necessary in a north London derby, that's for us the foundation. In the performances going forward as well. There were some really good things, but now we have to back it up and the next one's tomorrow.

on if our overall mood has changed with the clocks changing, and if we’re block by block rather than game by game:

RS: Game by game still. I think my kids haven't gotten used to the change of clocks yet! It was raining, by the way, this morning. It was lovely and sunny when we were out on the training pitch. No, we stick with game by game. It's important for us. We don't look too far ahead. We're very excited for the Champions League game tomorrow. Excited to be back close with the fans at Meadow Park and play under the lights. I know what it means for the players to play in the Champions League, so game by game, and the next one is Benfica.

on if playing against Spurs is good practice for Benfica:

RS: There are some similarities we expect. I think the amount of duelling in the north London derby, the physicality on the pitch, the intensity that was necessary in the battle on the pitch, we expect the same tomorrow. They're a very robust team with a good organisation, good structures, and they fight. So, in that sense, we expect to face something similar. The good thing is that we did that well in the game on the weekend, and we want to go to the next level with it.

on the Ballon d’Or:

AR: Yeah, it was really nice. I think it's special to celebrate people's seasons and bring the football world together. It was nice to go with Mariona. Yeah, I think it's a moment where you can enjoy the highs and lows of football. I think it was a special night to see, obviously, Harry Kane win. I was so excited about that. I think he's one of my role models growing up, and I think as soon as he got announced, I had goosebumps. Obviously, Alexia [Putellas] is an incredible player as well, so I think it was really nice to celebrate their individual moments. Then I also think it gives you some motivation to want to kick on. I know what we want to achieve as a team this year, and maybe it's been tough to begin with, but I believe that we've still got great things ahead in this team and this season.

on if she pushes through blips in form like Kane:

AR: I mean, it's an honour to say that I'm anything like Harry Kane, but I think that I definitely try and learn off him. I think he's an incredible leader and player. I love how he drops a bit deeper, he gets on the ends of crosses, he finds half a yard to shoot, he's good off both feet. So, yeah, I think if there's anyone's game that I could try and learn from, it would be his.

on if we’ve had to be grittier in our mentality this season:

AR: 100 per cent. I think you always learn different things throughout seasons. You pose different challenges, and I think, yeah, you have to dig deep. I think, for sure, times have been a little bit tougher, but we've got a resilient squad, resilient people around us, and I think sometimes tough moments bring out really great things from teams, and I hope that's what we're going to go on to do this season as well.

on what we want to see more of after the win against Spurs:

RS: Yeah, so like I just said, the foundation for us in the win was the intensity that we brought to the game, us as a collective attacking and defending together, the fight, the grittiness, the resilience, because also they scored the first goal in the game and we have to come back from it. So those things are important for us, and we definitely want to bring that to tomorrow night's game as well. I think the goal that we scored, Alessia sets up the opportunity for Georgia, how we make several deep runs, I think it's the third or the fourth run that we break the line with, and then we have so much composure to set up a player forward facing and to get a finish off. That was really positive and something we've been working on talking about. So if we can do that more often and bring that even more to games consistently, we know the quality in the squad. But yeah, the foundation was definitely in the grittiness and the fight.

on if there’s more of an emphasis now on success in the Champions League:

RS: Even though the start has been tough for us and there's been results that we aren't happy with, I still think it's too early to say because there's so much to play for still in the league as well. So like I just said, it's game by game and we're very proud to be part of the Champions League again. It's a fantastic stage and that's what we're focused on so Benfica tomorrow.

on how we approach coming up against Benfica tactically:

RS: They have their identity, of course. Remember the game from last year that we played there away,t hey made it hard for us, we ended up winning 2-0. They've played their two games against Juventus and Bayern. They compete and we know that they will compete against us tomorrow as well. So there will be some similarities. They have their identity, a really robust, compact structure in the league. They've had an amazing run since 2024, I think. So there's a lot of similarities based on the last game we played against them but they do something slightly different. Some personnel is different as well.

on how to reset after missing a big opportunity as a striker:

AR: First and foremost, I think it's about training. We train a lot on finishing moments, penalties as well. So I think whenever the moment comes, you know that you've done the work in the week and that's something that gives me confidence. Also, I think that's just how football goes. I think as a striker, as a forward, you know you're going to get chances and it's about doing as well as you can. I felt like it was a good contact, it was a good save [from Lize Kop early in the second half]. I didn't feel too much pressure going into the penalty. Obviously, I knew I wanted to score for the club for what it meant in that moment but you train for these moments all the time, so it trains you to be ready for them in the moments.

on if we can take anything from last season’s 2-0 win away to Benfica:

AR: Yes, I mean like Renée said, we know they're a really tough side to break down. We saw that when we played them away. We saw that when they played Bayern, they didn't score until late on in the game and I think it doesn't matter when we score. Of course, we'd love to score in the first couple of minutes but sometimes football doesn't work like that. So we're prepared, we'll do everything we can to break them down as early as possible but we know they have threats and we have to be aware of that too. So yes, we're confident going into the game but whether it comes in the first minute or the last minute, we're focused on the win no matter how.

on what she does as a leader in difficult moments:

AR: We have a squad full of young talent but also really experienced professionals that have been at the top of the game for a long time and I feel like I'm slowly edging towards that, so there is a responsibility on me to step up a little bit more. I think the way I lead is by how I train and what I give on the pitch. That's something that I commit to every day. But also, I'm quite a positive, laid-back person, so I think sometimes that can help the younger players when there is a lot of pressure on results and there are hard times. Maybe I think I can try and relieve some of their stress, which is something that I would pride myself on. I'm still learning as a leader. I have great people to look up to. I think that I try and help them as much as I can by being myself and authentic to me and hopefully I can continue to grow in that role as well.

on Cooney-Cross’ form this season:

AR: The Kyra that I signed with four years ago to now is a completely different person and player. I think she's grown in so many different ways. She's matured. She's gone through some real, real hardships and I think that the way that she's come back into the team this season, not only mentally but also physically, I think being away and back at home for over six months to come back in and be pretty much ready to go is a testament to her. The work that she wanted to put in and the work that she wants to do for her mum. As a friend, first and foremost, I'm really proud of her the way she's stepped up this season and I think she's got a massive career ahead of her.

on how to deal with players like Hinds when they’re not playing:

RS: What we do to help players is we have a really strong set-up in our technical team so we work with all players have their personal development plans and all coaches have a group of four or five players that they work with both from a review perspective training, isolated repetition technical repetition check-ins in general so I think all players and Taylor specifically has had really good support challenge and support which is always important for us for our PDP coach going both directions me and Taylor have had quite some conversations throughout both in the difficult times but also like I said to her after the game the performance that she puts on the way she plays the way she communicates the way she does her actions with conviction for 90 minutes and it's been a while since she played 90 minutes that was going to be in the Champions League so much respect for that and that's her and together with other staff at the club with the performance team medical team making sure that she's ready to go at this moment in the north London derby you see with how much heart she played in that game she cares for Arsenal and this game was important to her and I think you could see it in the way she behaved on the pitch and she did amazing so I'm just really happy for her she played a big role for the team in that game and this definitely put her in a good position going forward as well excellent.

on the understanding between Russo and Stanway:

AR: Georgia was my first friend on England camp when we were about 13, so I think we've played together for a really long time. I understand what she's trying to do on the pitch and she understands me too, so I think there's a natural connection there. Again, someone I've played with for a really long time, so I think that's great and nice that it came off in the north London derby but yeah we work on a lot of things, especially when I'm a little bit deeper in that role and we're more closely connected, so yeah, she finds me in spaces that I know she'll give me the ball and vice versa so it was really nice to get that combination and she's a player that I love playing with.

on transitioning between the number 10 and number nine roles:

AR: I feel like I've done it a lot more now, so it becomes a lot easier than it did at the start. I understand the role in and out of possession and I have good conversations with Renée and Aaron, who does the out-of-possession stuff too, so the role's really clear. I think a lot of the work that I do in the 9 is often a little bit deeper, so it has a lot of similarities with the number 10 position. I think ultimately I want to be scoring and creating as much as I can and I think you can do that both in the 9 and the 10 and we have great players that can play all over the front four, so I think it's just about how we can connect, how we can set up best opportunities for each other and play ourselves and each other into their strengths.

on helping Hinds to be prepared for minutes:

AR: Something that I would say to a lot of the girls is that you always have to be ready. Football changes so fast and you're always going to be needed. We've seen that last year with players when they step up and they do great, so I think for Taylor it was about making sure that I'm there for her, if there's anything that she needed but making sure that I kept her ready and kept her mindset focused on when she gets an opportunity, she will take it and she did that. She stepped up and she knows we have so much quality in our squad and Taylor included. She got a chance and she did really great and I think that's credit to us and the team to have players that are so ready to step in and commit to the team and commit to what we're trying to build. So yeah, it was really nice to see.

on if she’s tempted to keep consistency in the line-up to build momentum:

RS: That's always an important factor in how I think we start the game and finish the game. So again, for this one, we're looking at which 11 players we think are best for us to start but then we also know, with the Benfica opponent, that the way their games have played out, finishing is really important as well, so you have sharpness and quality and injections to finish the game. Trying to find the right balance there but yeah, of course consistency is an important one: freshness, readiness, short turnarounds, so that all plays in plus a million of other factors. We think we're in a good place for how we want to start and finish for tomorrow.

on if it’s good to have this game so soon after the derby win:

RS: Absolutely, I think we love it and the players love it. Playing so many games, that's why here at Arsenal we want to compete, play our games. That's the best, we look forward to Meadow Park, the closest to the fans. Champions League is always special. Special nights for the fans. How they were during the game and after the game was incredible. They're the best, so that moment afterwards we knew how important it was for us but also for the fans to get the win against Tottenham. I was really happy we could reward them for their resilience as well, so we look forward to the game tomorrow.

on having a difficult run of form before the win against Spurs:

AR: Of course, it's frustrating. We're all elite athletes, around elite sport and we want to win every single game but football doesn't always work like that. We've kind of just kept it simple, stripped things back and focused on the basics in training. Sometimes when things don't go your way, you can begin to overcomplicate and overanalyse and look too deeply into things. I think that's the last thing we've done. We've tried to just stay calm, stay free and focus on what we're good at and I think that's what we saw in the north London derby, we saw everyone playing with grit, playing with passion and hopefully we'll continue that going into Benfica tomorrow.

on if we feel different this week off the back of that win:

AR: It was nice to win, especially the north London derby. I think we know what that means to this club and the history of this team, it's a game every season that we look forward to and we want to give to the fans. I don't think it matters who we play. We now know that that's the standard, that's the level of grit and togetherness that we show on the pitch and that's the standard. Renée's message for the game is that now we need to go and back it up and that's on us as players tomorrow, going out there against Benfica.