Chelsea Women vs Arsenal Women predictions and match preview

It’s FA Cup fifth round weekend and a repeat of last season’s women’s final between Chelsea Women and Arsenal Women is on the cards.

Holders Chelsea will welcome Arsenal to Kingsmeadow as the two sides continue to spar for dominance this season. Chelsea came out 3-1 victors in last year’s final but this season the sides have an equal record, beating each other once each other on one occasion.

Read on for Chelsea Women vs Arsenal Women team news, predicted XIs, stats and TV channel info.

When is Chelsea Women vs Arsenal Women?

Competition: SSE Women’s FA Cup

Venue: Kingsmeadow Stadium

Date: Sunday, 16 February

Kick-off: 2 PM BST

Match preview

Chelsea are looking to retain the FA Cup after lifting it for the second time last season when they swept aside Arsenal. The triumph came in front of a record attendance of 45,423 people.

Although they won the league and cup double last year, that is proving to be a tougher ask this season.

For most of this FAWSL campaign, Arsenal have taken the driving seat. Joe Montemurro’s side have taken the league by storm this year but Chelsea have given themselves a slim chance after their 2-2 draw against Man City last weekend.

As for Arsenal, they had the weekend off having secured their place in the Continental Cup final with a win over Manchester United Women the Thursday prior.

That respite will have been welcomed by a Gunners side that has been marred by injuries this season.

Either way, both teams will be confident that they can progress and with Chelsea beating Arsenal 2-0 just a few weeks back, it’ll be interesting to see if Arsenal can get revenge.

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Where can I watch live?

The game isn’t being broadcast on TV in the UK but is being livestreamed on the SSE Women’s FA Cup Facebook account.

Are Arsenal the greatest in England Women’s football history?

Bearing down on their 50th major honour, the argument that Arsenal are the greatest women’s football club in England is hard to dispute.

Formed in 1987, they’ve been a staple of the English game ever since. The most decorated women’s club in England, they are also the record holders of the Women’s FA Cup having lifted the trophy on 14 occasions.

As well as silverware, Arsenal Women are known for the great players they’ve produced over the years such as Alex Scott, Kelly Smith, Faye White and many others.

However, the recent emergence of Chelsea Women and Man City Women has created more competition for Arsenal, who haven’t lifted the FAWSL since 2012. This year, though, they seem to have a good chance of ending that drought.

Who is Chelsea’s best player right now?

Based on pure ability, Chelsea’s best player without a doubt is Fran Kirby, despite the fact she is still being worked back into the team after a hamstring injury. That said, she still could have a big impact on the game.

With that in mind, another key player for Chelsea is Ji So-yun. Ji can be a handful for defences as she can be elusive when joining and creating attacks from midfield.

She scored Chelsea’s two goals against City last weekend and also bagged a goal in the 2016 FA Cup final against Arsenal, the last time the Gunners lifted the trophy.

Who is Arsenal’s biggest threat?

Arsenal’s biggest threat is Vivianne Miedema. The Dutch striker has been a revelation this season after a quiet start to her Arsenal career.

With 16 goals, she has already broken the FAWSL’s goalscoring record in a single season and has been virtually unstoppable. However, Arsenal are very much a machine with many moving parts.

What helps Miedema massively is midfield runners who can help create space in and around the box. With Jordan Nobbs injured this task often falls to either Kim Little or Danielle van de Donk, who both do the job exceptionally well.

Arsenal are also helped by Beth Mead out wide. A striker by trade, she has taken to playing on the wing with ease and has nine assists this season (an FAWSL high).

Head to head

Since meeting in last year’s final, Chelsea and Arsenal have faced off twice in the league.

The first game saw Arsenal thrash Chelsea at Kingsmeadow 5-0 with Miedema scoring twice that day. The defeat wasn’t only Chelsea’s first defeat of the season but also the first goals they had conceded this season. It ended the Blues’ 25-game unbeaten run in the league.

Emma Hayes’ Chelsea got revenge in January, however, as an Erin Cuthbert double sunk Arsenal to a 2-1 defeat. Miedema was on the scoresheet again for Arsenal.

Team News

Predicted Chelsea XI: Lindahl, Blundell, Bright, Eriksson, Andersson, Ingle, Spence, Cuthbert, Ji, Carney, Kirby.

Predicted Arsenal XI: Van Veenendaal, Evans, Williamson, Quinn, Mitchell, Bloodworth, Little, Van de Donk, Mead, McCabe, Miedema.

Predictions

Seeing as Chelsea are carrying great momentum into this game it would be hard to bet against them. The holders have lost just once since that 5-0 loss to Arsenal in October.

But for Arsenal, keeping that win in mind can’t hurt if they are looking for inspiration going to Kingsmeadow.

Chelsea 2 – 1 Arsenal

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