Arsenal will enter the London derby significantly weakened. Leah Williamson is still recovering from a calf injury, and Chloe Kelly is not yet fully fit. Unlike in the last match between the two sides, the defense cannot rely on Katie Reid, who has an ACL injury. Emily Fox was injured in the FA Cup, and Olivia Smith received a red card in the last match against Manchester United, so she will not be available for the match against Chelsea either.
On the other hand, first-choice goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar has returned from injury and may well start between the posts.
Chelsea, on the other hand, will enter the match boosted by their progress to the League Cup final. However, even the Blues are not having their best season, trailing Manchester City by six points, and if they want to defend their WSL title, they cannot afford any more losses.
The matches between these London rivals have always been evenly matched, and it is impossible to predict which team will come out on top. When the two teams met at Stamford Bridge last season, it was a very close game, decided only by a penalty kick after Katie McCabe was sent off, which was converted by Guro Reiten. This time, the match is gonna take place on Kingsmeadow.
The match will begin on Saturday, January 24, at 1:30 p.m. CET and will be available on the WSL YouTube channel.
