Arsenal and Chelsea prepare for battle at the Emirates

London rivals meet with WSL title on the line

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Arsenal host Chelsea at the Emirates on Saturday in one of the most anticipated games of the season. A win for Chelsea would see them go eight points clear of Arsenal and send an early message to their title rivals.

We asked our Arsenal writer Max Radwan and Chelsea reporter Ishan Shah to answer some key questions ahead of the game.

How are you feeling heading into this game?

Max Radwan – Apprehension tinged with a sense of déjà vu. Last autumn, Arsenal went into a home match against Chelsea knowing that a bad result would effectively end any title hopes with less than a third of the season played. A little over year later, and the first showdown with their major WSL rivals once again represents a make or break fixture for the Gunners. Lose, and they won’t just be looking at an eight-point gap to leaders Chelsea, but also face the prospect of ending the weekend as many as six points off the Champions League places. At least the head coach’s job isn’t on the line this time.

Ishan Shah - Historically, Chelsea have a terrible record at the Emirates, with their first league win coming in last season’s meeting between the two sides. However, Sonia Bompastor loves a win against Arsenal, referencing last season’s 2-1 win as one of her highlights of her first year at Chelsea.

Arsenal at home are a different beast. The atmosphere is electric and the players seem to always find another gear. With Chelsea not yet at their best this season, I am not confident the Blues will come away with all three points, but I am confident that they will come away with a good point.

How have Arsenal/Chelsea started the season?

MR – Arsenal have endured a difficult start to their season. So much so that the feel-good factor generated by last season’s extraordinary Uefa Women’s Champions League victory has quickly dissipated. From mid-September to early-October, they endured their longest winless run in four seasons, going four matches without a victory. As well as suffering a UWCL defeat to Lyon, that run saw them drop WSL points to both Manchester clubs, but most disappointing of all was a 1-1 draw at home to Aston Villa, in a match which the Gunners had led until injury time.

Renee Slegers’ side have at least found a semblance of form since then, matches before the international break against Brighton and Benfica saw them pick up results albeit without the performances to match, but Sunday’s 4-1 win at Leicester saw a much improved performance despite a depleted squad at Slegers’ disposal. The latest instalment in the WSL’s blockbuster rivalry does at least provide the opportunity to reignite a faltering season.

IS - Despite maintaining their record-breaking unbeaten run under Bompastor, Chelsea haven’t had the most convincing start to the season. They are top of the WSL table on 19 points, but that does not tell the full story. The Blues have dealt with injuries, returning players, and new signings adapting to a new league. However, their resilience to grind out positive results is an early sign of a championship-winning side. Watching Chelsea this season, you feel that there are so many gears they can still go up, which is somewhat of an encouraging sign, and there is no better time to level up than a London derby at the Emirates.

What’s changed since the last meeting?

MR – Since the two sides last met, Chelsea became the first team to win the WSL unbeaten in a 22-game season, and they have since extended that run to 32 matches in all, 29 of which have come under Bompastor. The Frenchwoman is still yet to lose a league game since taking charge of the club, a record Arsenal will look to end this weekend. The Gunners, meanwhile, ended last season by winning (for a second time) the one piece of silverware that has eluded Chelsea to date – the Uefa Women’s Champions League. This is something that the Emirates faithful will no doubt be quick to remind the travelling Chelsea fans of this weekend. On the pitch, both Chloe Kelly and, if passed fit, Olivia Smith, will hope to get their first taste of the London derby. Back in January, Arsenal ended the last meeting between these teams with Beth Mead as their only available winger.

IS - To put it simply, Arsenal have something Chelsea can only dream of - a Champions League trophy. Arsenal were by no means the best team in Europe last season, but that is not to say that they did not deserve to win the Champions League final. That win has created a new level of expectation for this Arsenal team- one that I believe this squad is not yet ready to match. The fanbase is large, and so are the expectations. For Chelsea, this is no regular London derby at the Emirates. It is now a chance to take down the champions of Europe on their own turf.

What are your expectations for this game?

MR – Having already lost ground at the top of the WSL, I expect Arsenal to at least try and take the game to Chelsea here. Bompastor has experimented with a back three formation this season, and there appears to be a sentiment among Chelsea circles that this has not brought the best out of the WSL champions, who are averaging 1.07 expected goals conceded per game this season, up from 0.87 per game last season.

Arsenal had more possession in both matches against Chelsea last season, and it will be interesting to see if their opponents are content to take a somewhat passive approach this time around, especially when you consider the damage a formidable Chelsea side could cause in light of the well-documented issues Arsenal have faced in their build-up play this season.

Above all, Arsenal will need their big players to step up, in particular, the Ballon d’Or podium duo of Mariona Caldentey and Alessia Russo. No player has completed more passes into the final third in the WSL this season than Caldentey (48), one ahead of her Chelsea counterpart and former Barcelona teammate Keira Walsh (47). Whichever one of those players has a greater influence in the middle of the pitch will go a long way towards deciding the final outcome on Saturday.

As for Russo, no centre forward has completed more passes than the England striker in the WSL this season, which is unsurprising, considering the way in which she is able to influence multiple phases of the play. Crucially, she has found some goalscoring form of late, netting three times in her last four games.

IS - Chelsea have conceded the fewest goals in the WSL this season, but their defence has been far from good. On numerous occasions, we have seen teams exploit the spaces in behind and in between centre-backs as they still figure out their back three/four hybrid shape. If it wasn’t for Hannah Hampton, who has the highest save percentage in the league (85.7%), the WSL table would be looking very different for the Blues. Having the best goalkeeper in the world has helped Chelsea paper over the defensive cracks, but this will be their toughest task yet as a defensive unit.

At the other end of the pitch, Chelsea have not been their clinical selves this season, underperforming their expected goals by scoring 1.8 goals per 90 from an xG of 2.29, down from 2.4 goals from an xG of 2.2 last season. Injuries to players like Lauren James, and Sam Kerr making her way back to full fitness, are of course big factors here, but Bompastor has struggled to find a consistent front three she can rely on. I expect Arsenal to get a lot of chances, but the result will depend on how composed they are in front of goal, or how good Hampton is on the day.

Any key players missing? Do you think we will see changes or tactical tweaks?

MR – Arsenal were unable to name a full substitutes bench – which included multiple goalkeepers and teenagers, for last weekend’s visit to Leicester, with Lotte Wubben-Moy (illness), Olivia Smith (bruised hip), Kyra Cooney-Cross (illness) and Frida Maanum (knock) all unable to make the matchday squad. Speaking after that game, Slegers said that she hoped to get some of those players back for this weekend. This spate of injuries and illness comes on top of the well-documented absence of Leah Williamson, who Arsenal have missed dearly this season. In Williamson’s absence, the Gunners will hope to have Wubben-Moy available to fill the void in terms of passing out from the back. In terms of long-term absentees both Manuela Zinsberger and Michelle Agyemang have begun their rehabs following ACL injuries, with the latter ending her loan at Brighton to begin her recovery process.

From a tactical perspective, Blackstenius’ excellent channel movement last time out, against a Leicester side that deployed a back three, will provide Slegers with food for thought. The Swede is at her best when making probing runs, and, if given the nod will look to exploit any a gaps in a Chelsea defensive setup that hasn’t been entirely watertight this season.

IS - While both sides have suffered injuries to key players, the Blues squad is better equipped to deal with the losses of players like James, Mayra Ramirez, and others. Returning players like Lucy Bronze, Naomi Girma, and Kerr are still finding their feet as well. With both Girma and Bronze back, I expect Bompastor to adopt her preferred back-three system with Ellie Carpenter and Sandy Baltimore as attacking wing-backs, with Millie Bright, Nathalie Bjorn, and one of Bronze and Girma making up the back three.

With players like Mariona Caldentey and Kim Little in midfield, it is imperative that Chelsea do not lose the midfield battle. As a result, Bomapstor could deploy a midfield three of Erin Cuthbert, Walsh, and one of Wieke Kaptein or Sjoeke Nusken, potentially even Catarina Macario if she chooses a more attacking approach. Aggie Beever-Jones is sure to lead the line for the Blues alongside Johanna Rytting Kaneryd or club-record signing Alyssa Thompson.