Chelsea against Arsenal has had a familiar ring to it of late, the men's sides took each other on at the weekend which resulted in a rather dull 0-0. Coincidently the women's sides are both first and second too as they face each other on Thursday night in the WSL.

After four rounds of matches, Chelsea lead the Gunners by just two points and if Arsenal's women could get a result on Thursday evening, it would go a long way to sustaining a title challenge in the WSL in 2015 after a disappointing fourth place finish in 2014.

Of course the two opponents have already faced each other this season, just two weeks ago when Chelsea knocked holders Arsenal out of the FA Women's Cup. The Gunners lost 2-1 on that day as Emma Mitchell's strike was not enough as goals from Katie Chapman and Gemma Davison sealed Chelsea's passage to the last four of the FA Cup.

Arsenal Ladies will therefore be looking to avenge that result and, after an impressive 4-1 win over newly promoted Sunderland at the week-end, it should give them encouragement going into Thursday's fixture. In that game Spaniard Natalia Pablos Sanchon scored a brace whilst youngster Carla Humphrey continued her impressive start in the senior squad with a goal off the bench. The ever impressive Dan Carter meanwhile bagged a goal late on as Arsenal continued their good run of form, having beaten Manchester City a week previous.

Chelsea will however present a much sterner test for Pedro Martinez Losa's side, the Blues come off the back of a 1-0 win over Birmingham on Sunday. Chelsea will be lead by the striking talents of Gemma Davison and England's Eniola Aluko, who managed to earn her way into the WSL's Team of the Year at the PFA awards on Monday night. Both of these sides were not short of representatives at the awards. Arsenal defenders Emma Mitchell and Casey Stoney were also among the Team of the Year whilst youngster Leah Williamson was named the PFA Young Player of the Year after impressing heavily througout 2014, and for England U19's lately. South Korean Ji So-Yun of Chelsea meanwhile won the PFA Player of the Year and was also included in the Team of the Year.

As it stands this game will be one of the biggest in English Women's football and there will be plenty of quality on show. However the fixture list has been quite harsh of late and therefore changes could be seen despite the magnitude of the game. Martinez Losa has not been shy to resting players so far this season but whether he will rely on youth over experience, as has been the case in 2015, remains to be seen. Rachel Yankey was on the bench against Sunderland but may well start against Chelsea. Danielle Carter has been ever present this season and is likely to start again. Whether Carla Humphrey or Chioma Ubogagu start after impressive form this season is another matter.

Arsenal Ladies' balance so far this season though has been very good and, despite not featuring as regularly as she once did, Kelly Smith recognises the potential and excitement around the club at the moment:

"Myself, Emma Byrne and Alex Scott are leading the way and then we have got Leah [Williamson], Carla Humphrey and Jade Bailey who are the future of the club, so it’s an exciting time for Arsenal Ladies."

Compared to Arsenal's average form in the WSL last season, and after an exodus of players, they have made a hugely encouraging start in 2015 and with that balance of exceptional youth and experience Pedro Martinez Losa has at his disposal, Arsenal can go into their game with Chelsea full of confidence.

Arsenal's defence has been impressive this season, with Gemma Rose and Casey Stoney providing stability at the back alongside the consistent Alex Scott at right-back. However Martinez Losa may choose to rest a few players and therefore Emma Mitchell may start in defence.

Chelsea's defence has also been impressive this season, conceding just once in the WSL after four games. Among that back four are former Arsenal players Niamh Fahey and Gilly Flaherty who, alongside skipper Katie Chapman, will be hoping for victory against their former side. Another former Arsenal player, Laura Coombs, believes that insider knowledge will help them in Thursday's game:

"We’ve got Niamh Fahey who was there more recently so we’ve tried to sneakily ask her about what their plans might be so we’ll see what she can find out."

It is clear that this game could be one of the most important this campaign despite coming so early in the season but if Chelsea win they could extend their advantage at the top of the WSL. Arsenal, meanwhile, could go top if they were to gain all three points from the encounter.

VAVEL Logo
About the author
Matt Dawson
Sports journalist at the University of Huddersfield. Cover Arsenal and the WSL.