The top two teams in the Women's Super League will lock horns when leaders Chelsea Women take on second-placed Arsenal Women in Sunday's clash at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea have dropped just two points in 11 league games this season, while the Gunners have won each of their last five WSL matches.
Match preview
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Chelsea look well set to win a sixth consecutive league title after winning 10 and drawing one of their 11 matches in Sonia Bompastor's first season as a WSL manager.
They were held to a 1-1 draw by Leicester City in their final WSL outing of 2024, but they had no trouble in taking maximum points from their first league fixture of the calendar year against West Ham United.
Catarina Macario, Erin Cuthbert, Aggie Beever-Jones and Sandy Baltimore all got on the scoresheet along with an Amber Tysiak own goal, as Chelsea cruised to a 5-0 victory over the Hammers to leave them seven points clear of Arsenal and Manchester United at the halfway stage of the WSL season.
The Blues recorded another emphatic 5-0 win in Wednesday's Women's League Cup quarter-final against Durham, with Beever-Jones, Cuthbert, Oriane Jean-Francois, Guro Reiten and Maika Hamano all finding the net to set up a semi-final clash with West Ham.
While they will face a tough test on Sunday, Chelsea will still fancy their chances of picking up all three points against their title rivals, especially as they have won each of their last eight home league games - a streak which began with a 3-1 victory in March 2024.
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Arsenal have embarked on a formidable run of form since Renee Slegers took over the reins following Jonas Eidevall's departure in December.
Slegers oversaw 10 wins in her 11 competitive matches (D1) as interim boss, before she was appointed as Arsenal's new permanent manager ahead of last weekend's league clash with Crystal Palace.
The 35-year-old marked her first game as a permanent boss with a resounding 5-0 victory over the Eagles, courtesy of a Mariona Caldentey brace as well as goals from Leah Williamson, Alessia Russo and Beth Mead.
Arsenal produced another free-scoring display in midweek, with Frida Maanum, Katie McCabe, Kyra Cooney-Cross and Caldentey all finding the net in a 4-0 win against Brighton & Hove Albion in the Women's League Cup quarter-finals.
After setting up a last-four meeting with Manchester City, Arsenal will now turn their attention back to WSL action, with the visitors looking to avenge October's 2-1 home defeat against Chelsea by claiming their first top-flight away win over the Blues since October 2018.
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Team News
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The hosts are expected to be without the services of Sam Kerr, Mia Fishel, Sophie Ingle, Kadeisha Buchanan and Aniek Nouwen.
England international Lauren James is set to feature in the matchday squad after missing the last two matches through illness.
Beever-Jones could be given the chance to retain her place in the starting lineup after scoring in each of Chelsea's first three competitive matches of 2025.
Meanwhile, the Gunners are without Amanda Ilestedt and Victoria Pelova, while Lina Hurtig is a doubt after missing the last two matches.
Slegers has confirmed that Lia Walti and Caitlin Foord will be fit for Sunday's contest, although the pair may have to settle for places on the bench.
Russo will be looking to continue her impressive form, having scored seven of her previous six competitive appearances.
Chelsea Women possible starting lineup:
Hampton; Bronze, Bright, Bjorn, Charles; Nusken, Cuthbert; Beever-Jones, Macario, Baltimore; Ramirez
Arsenal Women possible starting lineup:
Van Domselaar; Fox, Williamson, Catley, McCabe; Cooney-Cross, Little; Mead, Maanum, Caldentey; Russo
We say: Chelsea Women 2-2 Arsenal Women
Arsenal will be desperate to take the spoils to reduce the gap at the top of the table to four points, but we think that they will have to be content with a draw when they face a Chelsea side that are yet to lose under Bompastor's watch.
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