One at the back? Chelsea to open gap? - WSL preview

Published on: 08 December 2023

Arsenal beat Chelsea in the Continental Cup final in MarchWomen's Super League: Arsenal v ChelseaVenue: Emirates Stadium, London Date: Sunday, 10 December Time: 12:30 GMTCoverage: Watch live on BBC Two, BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website & app; live text commentary on BBC Sport website & app

The Women's Super League returns following the international break as the league's top two sides face off on Sunday.

Second-place Arsenal welcome league leaders Chelsea to Emirates Stadium at 12:30 GMT with the chance to bridge the gap to their London rivals and you can watch live on the BBC.

Meanwhile, managers juggle the return of players from representing their respective nations and could Everton be forced to play with one defender?

Here are the key talking points before the weekend's fixtures.

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'You don't want to miss this game'

Jonas Eidevall's Arsenal take on six-time WSL winners Chelsea on Sunday in what could ultimately be a crucial match in the title race.

Should Emma Hayes' side secure victory they will have created a six-point gap between themselves and closest rivals Arsenal.

But a win for the Gunners at an almost sold-out Emirates could peg back Chelsea's charge for a fifth consecutive title.

"We're 2,000 tickets short of being sold out so let's push - you don't want to miss this game," said Eidevall.

Both managers were keen to downplay the significance of the contest with Eidevall saying "the performance is always the focus" and Hayes said it is "business as usual" for her side.

"You can't approach any game as bigger or smaller than another, you have to approach everything in exactly the same way," said Hayes.

"Arsenal are an unbelievable counter attacking team. They are a team that have been together for a long period of time. They are a top team."

Chelsea will be boosted by the return of Norway midfielder Guro Reiten, who was last season's top assist-maker but has been out since October with an ankle injury.

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Quick turnaround for England players after 'difficult' few daysRachel Daly (left) and Alex Greenwood (right) are among the England players that need to recover from the disappointment of failing to reach the Nations League semi-finals and therefore missing out on the 2024 Paris Olympics with Team GB

It is a tight turnaround for players returning from international duty and getting back to club football, with England failing to reach the Nations League semi-final and, in turn, missing out on qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympics on behalf of Team GB on Tuesday.

England beat Scotland 6-0 in their final group match but it was not by a sufficient goal margin to progress to the finals ahead of the Netherlands, who beat Belgium 4-0.

Manchester City host Aston Villa on Saturday at 12:30 GMT and manager Gareth Taylor said it had been a "difficult couple of days" for the England players.

"It impacted a lot of our players one way or the other," said Taylor.

"I spoke to them about the experience and what they were feeling because it was really tough to watch.

"It's obviously really disappointing that the players won't be making the Olympics. That's football and it's really fine margins."

Aston Villa manager Carla Ward said she had spoken to England and Villa striker Rachel Daly who was "gutted" about the result.

"Rach is a passionate person that takes a lot of pride in playing for her country," said Ward.

"Of course it's going to hurt but it's not just Rach - if you forget the Olympics we've had an awful lot of players away playing for their countries and it's different emotions you always have to manage when they come back in."

One at the back?

Football managers like to try new things to get the best out of their team but when injury strikes it can be difficult to come up with solutions.

Everton boss Brian Sorensen was already dealing with injury problems before the international break with midfielder Lucy Hope and defender Elise Stenevik out with long-term injuries.

Now, several players have returned from representing their countries with fresh injury concerns, leaving the Danish boss questioning what formation he will have to play on Sunday when his side face West Ham.

"We have one defender basically," said Sorensen. "It's very frustrating. You'll probably see a new formation - maybe a 1-6-3 formation and we'll see how that goes," he joked.

Denmark defender Katrine Veje rolled her ankle while playing in the Nations League while experienced midfielder Justine Vanhaevermaet came off with a foot injury while playing for Belgium, with both set to be out until after Christmas.

"It's a significant amount of players we don't have available. It is what it is. We have to deal with it," said Sorensen.

Source: bbc.com

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