Why Arsenal chose 'deeply uncomfortable' pre-season friendly with NWSL side Washington Spirit as Gunners boss Jonas Eidevall looks to avoid Champions League qualification disappointment

Ahead of the new season, Arsenal will take on the National Women's Soccer League side on Sunday, which should be a big test for Eidevall's team. Before facing Rangers in a Champions League qualifier next month, the Swede has spoken about the need for this contest and how they will look to go one better after losing on penalties to Paris FC in last season's Champions League qualifiers.

He told The Athletic: “You need to start fast. You need to be ready to play really competitive games. We’re only playing one game, not a two-legged qualifier, which is very different. You could see that against Paris. The stress of conceding a goal in the second half is totally different compared to if you were playing a return leg. The team’s reaction will be very different, which makes the margins much smaller. We need to start fast to get those margins on the right side. That’s also why we chose to play our first game against Washington Spirit. It is a deeply uncomfortable challenge when we’re coming here with a squad that is not ready to play a 90-minute game against a really tough opponent. But we need to get the correct answers on where we are as a team.”

Arsenal retained their Conti Cup trophy earlier this year but they will want to mount a stronger Women's Super League title challenge this term and progress in the Champions League. And tests such as facing Washington, who are well into their league season whereas the Gunners are coming back from their summer break, is a good warm-up for them.

After facing Washington, Eidevall's Arsenal continue their pre-season campaign with a clash at rivals Chelsea on August 25 before taking on Scottish giants Rangers in the European competition on September 4.