Key events
Kick off delayed
The match wonât begin at 7pm as scheduled, apparently because of a kit clash. Eh? Donât they wear blue and red?
âBlackstenius rather than Russo â not a choice many Arsenal fans would nod sagely at,â writes Charles Antaki. âItâs true that Blackstenius scored three against Villa the other day, but Chelsea are a nut of a much tougher variety. Sheâs admirably tireless and committed, but tends to run straight lines; Russo is the more subtle and elusive player. We all know what Chelsea are like, so unless Russo is out of sorts for one reason another, this does look like an odd choice.â
As does Jonas Eidevall
The loudest supporters tonight will be them [points to the away end].
[On Blackstenius and Russo battling for a place up front] Competition in a squad is really good so long as you donât lose self-confidence as a player. The moment you lose self-confidence, it doesnât matter what ability you have â especially as a striker. If you lose the bravery and start overthinking, you lose your edge.
We try to communicate about their strengths and what we want to see; make sure they donât need to have second thoughts. Thatâs the art of coaching. Iâm not saying Iâm doing it perfectly but itâs a really, really important aspect of the game. If you want to win thing you will need to get that right.
[On Emma Hayes] She is so flexible tactically. As soon as something is not working for Chelsea, she will change personnel, formation or the way of playing. We expect them to change as the game goes on â she will be very proactive. Me and Emma are slightly different as coaches. I will stick with plan A for longer because I believe so much in it and the reason we have that plan.
Emma Hayes talks to Sky Sports
I believe every single one of our players is ready. I hope we use the crowd â we have to create the noise and give them something to be excited about. If we carry out the things that really, really matter, and are important to me, itâll be a cracker of a game.
[Lauren James] is good, sheâs ready to go. Sheâs had her hair done. Sheâs got it ready for the crowd!
Read the great Karen Carney on the title race
Arsenal have arguably the best squad in the league and the opportunity to chase down the other two. Their home victory over Chelsea was the performance of the season and they need to replicate that. The Gunners have great variety in attack, making them able to adapt to circumstances. Whether they need runners in behind or more crosses into the box, they have a squad of problem-solvers.
Team news
Emma Hayes has changed more than half the Chelsea team that won the FA Cup quarter-final at Everton. Lauren James, Niamh Charles and Guro Reiten are among those who return to the side.
Stina Blackstenius, who scored a hat-trick in Arsenalâs 4-0 win over Aston Villa in last weekâs Conti Cup semi-final, is preferred to Alessia Russo up front. Kim Little, Caitlin Foord and Victoria Pelova all return.
Chelsea (possible 4-3-3) Hampton; Perisset, Buchanan, Carter, Charles; Cuthbert, Leupolz, Nusken; Kaneryd, James, Reiten.
Substitutes: Musovic, Ingle, Macario, Lawrence, Kirby, Hamano, Cankovic, Beever-Jones.
Arsenal (possible 4-3-3) Zinsberger; McCabe, Williamson, Wubben-Moy, Catley; Pelova, Little, Walti; Mead, Blackstenius, Foord.
Substitutes: Fox, Maanum, DâAngelo, Russo, Codina, Cooney-Cross, Holly Reid, Bouhaddi.
Referee Rebecca Welch.
ð´ ð§ððð ðððð âªï¸
ð´ó §ó ¢ó ³ó £ó ´ó ¿ Little wears the armband
ð³ð± Pelova in midfield
ð¸ðª Blackstenius leads the lineCOME ON YOU GUNNERS â¤ï¸ pic.twitter.com/EHAfMwCHkQ
— Arsenal Women (@ArsenalWFC) March 15, 2024
Preamble
Hello and welcome to live, minute-by-minute coverage of Chelsea v Arsenal at Stamford Bridge. Some games are bigger than others, and this is a supersized triple whopper of a contest: 1st v 3rd in the WSL, huge London club v huge London club, a match that both teams can barely afford to draw never mind lose.
Arsenal trounced Chelsea 4-1 in the return fixture in December. They also beat Manchester City at home, but three defeats to teams outside the big four have cost them. Chelsea have the opposite problem: the eight points they have dropped this season have all been against Arsenal or City. They will be exceedingly keen to put that right tonight.
Kick off 7pm