Arsenal head coach Jonas Eidevall has called for “smart” scheduling amid suggestions that the football calendar is becoming too full.

The Gunners have been handed a setback with two of their key players Beth Mead and Vivianne Miedema both picking up anterior cruciate ligament injuries within weeks of each other.

Miedema sustained her injury in last week’s Champions League defeat to Lyon and joins an already lengthy list of female players who have picked up a long-term injury this year.

That has led to calls to look at the football calendar and England manager Sarina Wiegman raised the issue this week, suggesting there are too many games being played.

Speaking ahead of Arsenal’s Champions League clash against Zurich on Wednesday, Eidevall is hopeful schedules can be adapted in the future.

He told a pre-match press conference: “I’ve said before with the playing schedule I think we have to be very smart in the way that we grow the women’s game and the calendar, with both the increase in games but also increasing the intensity of the games.

“I think some of these things will be not a quick fix because it’s scheduling, when we are playing international or club football, or a national team that’s obviously decided many years in advance.

“Here we can be able to take experience so hopefully next time we decide on our schedule we can adapt.

“I think that’s what we need to bring our attention to as coaches at the moment, to say we can’t change the schedule but we can improve and increase our communication and we have to understand that all of us have to give.”

Arsenal are looking to bounce back from their loss to Lyon with a win against Zurich, who they defeated 3-1 in October.

Winless Zurich are rooted to the bottom of Group C and unable to qualify for the next stages of the competition, while the Gunners have already sealed their place in the quarter-finals.

A win on Wednesday could see them finish top of the group – they are currently level on 10 points with Lyon – and Eidevall is hoping for a well-disciplined performance from his team as they prepare for the knockout stages.

He said: “I think it’s important you want to play well, you’re in a competition, you want to have as many advantages as possible in that competition when you reach the quarter-final stage.

“There are going to be eight brilliant teams here but of course we like to go there as number one, if that’s possible, it’s also important not go to the quarter-finals with too many yellow cards.

“We experienced that against Wolfsburg last season. It was really difficult for us coming into those games with so many players getting lost to suspensions, we’ve managed that part much, much better and have a much better discipline of players.

“That is important that it continues tomorrow. First we need to win, second we need to try and keep where we are with our yellow cards and we will be heading to the quarter-finals with very good conditions.”