Manchester City host Arsenal on Saturday with the teams level on points, City having played a game more. The chance to take the advantage in the race for Champions League qualification is on the line, with the Gunners third and City outside the UWCL places in fourth. Both clubs will also retain hope of winning the title. City still have to travel to Arsenal in the league and their 1-0 extra-time defeat at Arsenal in the Continental Cup semi-final on Wednesday showed the tightness of the margin between the teams. What did we learn from that encounter, what can we expect on Saturday and what could decide the outcome?
Nullifying City’s wide duo
Jonas Eidevall switched to a back three for the first time in his almost 20 months with Arsenal on Wednesday. It proved effective, nullifying the potent England wingers Chloe Kelly and Lauren Hemp, with the wing-backs Katie McCabe and Laura Wienroither dealing with their pair and the centre-backs on hand to cope with dangerous balls in from wide areas. City had 25 shots but only seven on target. What Eidevall will do on Saturday is anyone’s guess. “I don’t know yet what I’m going to do so it’s going to be a good guessing game for them,” he said. Adding a layer of unpredictability diversifies Arsenal’s options. “It’s important to have two different systems, to make it harder for opponents to prepare for us,” the manager said. “If we know how we can use it, the opponent will never be sure when we’re going to use one or the other and that of course makes their preparation much harder.”
Arsenal’s goal hunt
Arsenal need goals. They had 15 shots with seven on target against City and 21 shots in a goalless draw with West Ham last Sunday. Eidevall’s desire for a proven goalscorer in January after ACL injuries to Beth Mead and Vivianne Miedema was clear but he missed out on adding a player of the calibre required. Now he needs his forwards to step up and make that irrelevant. Sweden’s Stina Blackstenius has not scored in the league since a 4-0 defeat of bottom-placed Leicester on 6 November, though she has hit five goals in cup competitions since. Her winner on Wednesday will hopefully restore some much-needed self-confidence. City have less of a goalscoring problem but drawing a blank against Arsenal in the cup could rattle them.
Psychological advantage
Arsenal got the better of City in the Conti Cup but the quick turnaround and Arsenal having to travel north perhaps largely nullifies any psychological advantage. “I think it’s one where we dust ourselves down and get ready,” City’s manager, Gareth Taylor, told his club’s website. “We have to capitalise on them travelling up as well … I always felt better playing two games in three days. The first game felt like a warm-up and you might not feel good in those days between the games but I think once the whistle blows on Saturday the players will be ready.” Eidevall believes the biggest factor in earning back-to-back wins against City will be recovery. “Mostly it’s about what the players do on an individual basis to recover, who’s the best in eating, who’s the best in sleeping, who’s the best taking ice baths,” he said. “You have to be a world champion in those things on Thursday and Friday – that’s what’s going to make a big difference on Saturday.”
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chelsea Women | 12 | 24 | 31 |
| 2 | Man Utd Women | 12 | 25 | 29 |
| 3 | Arsenal Women | 11 | 20 | 26 |
| 4 | Man City Women | 12 | 14 | 26 |
| 5 | Everton Women | 12 | 4 | 19 |
| 6 | Aston Villa Women | 12 | -5 | 17 |
| 7 | West Ham Women | 13 | -7 | 16 |
| 8 | Liverpool FC Women | 11 | -9 | 11 |
| 9 | Tottenham Hotspur Women | 11 | -8 | 9 |
| 10 | Brighton & Hove Albion Women | 10 | -21 | 8 |
| 11 | Reading Women | 13 | -15 | 7 |
| 12 | Leicester Women | 11 | -22 | 3 |
