Chelsea-Arsenal preview: The WSL title decider that has arrived in January
We asked our club writers Max Radwan and Jessy Parker Humphreys to answer some key questions ahead of Sunday's showdown in the WSL
Chelsea host Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on Sunday in one of the most anticipated games of the season. There’s plenty on the line, as a win for Chelsea would see them go 10 points clear of Arsenal. Could the WSL title race be over by January? We asked our Chelsea writer Jessy Parker Humphreys and Arsenal writer Max Radwan to answer some key questions ahead of the game.
How are you feeling heading into this game?
Jessy Parker Humphreys (Chelsea): Chelsea seem to have gotten over the end of year wobble that saw them draw 1-1 to Leicester City in the final game of the WSL before the winter break. The time away, which included a training camp in Portugal, appears to have reinvigorated the team who have scored 14 goals without reply in their three games in 2025.
The imminent signing of Naomi Girma for a world record fee will be a further boost, demonstrating Chelsea’s intent for the second half of the season. Defensive reinforcements have clearly been needed following Kadeisha Buchanan’s ACL injury, and Girma is an unbeatable piece of recruitment. The fact that Arsenal were one of the teams they fought off to get her signature will only add to the spice on Sunday.
Max Radwan (Arsenal): I’d usually approach a trip to Chelsea with trepidation, and that’s putting it lightly. Arsenal haven’t won away to their London rivals since the famous 5-0 victory at Kingsmeadow in 2018. Last season’s trip to Stamford Bridge left the Gunners feeling blue in more ways than one as the sock-gate fiasco was coupled with Arsenal going 3-0 down before halftime.
This time around, I am mostly intrigued to see how new head coach Renee Slegers gets on in what is her first major test in the WSL. For all the encouragement produced by Arsenal’s results to date under Slegers, they have only faced one club from the WSL’s top four (Manchester United) since the managerial change in October, and that was the only game that they failed to win under Slegers.
What’s changed since the last meeting in October?
JPH: From a Chelsea perspective, not much! I doubt many people expected them to still be unbeaten across all competitions at this point, but the team have continued to develop under Sonia Bompastor. Against Manchester City and Manchester United, they were much better at controlling the game to limit the opposition’s opportunities than they were against Arsenal in the 2-1 win at the Emirates. Chelsea have also benefited from the return of Catarina Macario to full fitness, giving them an extra option in attack, with Niamh Charles’ availability also giving them more depth on the left-hand side. It has made the team less predictable.
MR: A lot! The reverse fixture in October proved to be Jonas Eidevall’s final game in charge and it remains Arsenal’s most recent defeat. Since then, the North London club have been in irresistible form under Slegers, who was finally confirmed as head coach last week. Arsenal have won 12 out of their last 13 matches and scored at least four goals on six occasions.
Alessia Russo has been in the form of her career, scoring ten times since Slegers has taken charge, including each of her last six appearances in the WSL. Frida Maanum and Mariona Caldentey have also thrived in a turbocharged Arsenal attack. At the back, Leah Williamson and Steph Catley have struck up a solid partnership that has seen Arsenal keep a clean sheet in each of their last five WSL matches.
What are your expectations for this game?
JPH: Every team Chelsea face from here on in are going to want to be the first to beat them, which only increases the already high stakes that this match up presents. I’m biased but in my opinion, Chelsea vs Arsenal is always the game to watch in the WSL. On the face of it, Chelsea can benefit from the fact that really the pressure is on Arsenal to get a win and attempt some kind of title race, but the reality is that Chelsea will be just as desperate for bragging rights, having not done a league double over Arsenal since 2019-20.
I don’t really know what to make of Arsenal under Renee Slegers which is making it difficult for me to assess the actual match up. On the face of it, she has not changed a huge amount from the team under Jonas Eidevall, but there has clearly been an increase in confidence. In their bigger games, they have looked vulnerable from set-pieces but Chelsea have struggled to make corners count recently, but that’s certainly an area I would be focusing on.
MR: With Arsenal trailing Chelsea by seven points, I’d like to see them try and take the game to their rivals. Any result but an Arsenal win would see the title race effectively over by January, so the onus really is on the Gunners here. I’m interested to see how Arsenal deal with pressure being on them. Slegers’ Arsenal have taken virtually every challenged posed to them in their stride so far, but this is a different challenge all together.
It was generally accepted that one of Eidevall’s strengths was his ability to tactically micromanage in the big games, so seeing if Slegers can tailor her team’s setup to combat Chelsea will be instructive.
I’m also looking forward to seeing how Williamson and Catley get on as a partnership in their biggest test yet. In the reverse fixture Williamson, was run ragged by Mayra Ramirez, so it will be interesting to see if Arsenal make the necessary adaptations to prevent the England captain from being isolated against the Colombian centre forward this time around.
Do you think we will see changes or debuts from new signings?
JPH: Chelsea have some injury issues that might alter their standard line-up with Johanna Rytting Kaneryd returning to full fitness and Lauren James having missed Chelsea’s last two matches through illness. Sandy Baltimore also did not make the squad for the Subway Cup quarter-final win against Durham midweek. Even if Chelsea manage to complete the Girma deal before Sunday, it will be too soon for her to participate.
MR: I think most of Arsenal’s starting line-up picks itself, but the two major questions are who partners Kim Little in central midfield and who starts on the right. The answer to the former may come down to whether Lia Walti is deemed fit to play after she was substituted as a precaution after picking up a knock in Wednesday’s Subway Cup quarter-final win over Brighton. If she can’t make the starting XI, Kyra Cooney-Cross will keep her place in the line-up. On the right, Slegers has generally favoured Caitlin Foord, although Beth Mead has started both post-winter break games from that position.
Predictions….
JPH: I think it’ll be a draw. I’m not sure Arsenal have developed enough under Slegers to beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and I think Chelsea will know that a draw should be enough to secure them the title in January.
MR: I’m expecting a tight game that will come down to which team can take their chances, as Chelsea did so well in the reverse fixture, scoring from two of their first three shots. I’ll go for a 1-1 draw, maintaining both coaches’ unbeaten records – even if shared points would in all honesty suit Chelsea more than Arsenal.
Interesting read. I’m surprised that both think it will be a draw though. As a neutral it seems clear that Chelsea are levels above Arsenal (who, in turn, are levels above the others). The new Arsenal coach hasn’t really been tested yet and I sense this will be the time when reality hits! 3-1 Chelsea
I suspect (and fear) Jessy's point on set-pieces may be prophetic. It's been Arsenal's biggest weak point, and Chelsea (albeit haven't scored from many yet) have substantial height and power in the box, with a reliable source of delivery in Reiten. I can foresee a close game ending in a 2-0/2-1 Chelsea win with both their goals coming from set-pieces.