Preview: Arsenal Women vs. Leicester Women
Arsenal Women will have to pick themselves up from their Champions League semi-final exit when they welcome relegation-threatened Leicester Women to Meadow Park on Thursday.
The Gunners are currently sitting in fourth position in the Women’s Super League table, while the Foxes will enter the contest in 10th.
Despite being without a number of key players, Arsenal ran Wolfsburg close in the semi-finals of the Champions League, but they ultimately fell short in their quest to reach their second European final.
After coming from two goals down to draw the first leg, Arsenal took the early advantage at a packed-out Emirates Stadium on Monday thanks to Stina Blackstenius’s opener, before strikes from Jill Roord and Alex Popp turned the contest in Wolfsburg’s favour.
Jen Beattie restored parity to send the tie to extra time where Pauline Bremer found the winner in the 119th minute to quash Arsenal’s European dreams.
Arsenal will now turn their attention back to league matters, and the fourth-placed side know that they need to finish with a positive run of results to finish in the top three and qualify for a place in next season’s Champions League.
Having won their previous three WSL meetings with Leicester by a combined 13-0 scoreline, the Gunners will be confident of picking up all three points on Thursday.
After beating relegation rivals Reading 2-1 at the beginning of April, Leicester claimed a second straight victory in emphatic fashion when they played host to Liverpool on Saturday.
The Foxes took a two-goal lead into half time thanks to strikes from Josie Green and Carrie Jones, before Ashleigh Plumptre and Missy Goodwin put their names on the scoresheet in the second period to wrap up a commanding 4-0 victory.
The impressive result lifted the Foxes out of the sole relegation place and two points clear of Reading, who are now propping up the WSL table.
Leicester will know that they are far from safe, especially with two difficult away games against Arsenal and Chelsea coming up over the next seven days.
Having lost seven of their eight away games in the WSL this season, the Foxes will know that they will have their work cut out to pick up a positive result on Thursday.
Arsenal Women Women’s Super League form:
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Arsenal Women form (all competitions):
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Leicester Women Women’s Super League form:
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We say: Arsenal Women 3-0 Leicester Women
Arsenal cruised to a 4-0 victory when the two sides met in November, and while Leicester have improved since that result, we think that the Gunners will prove too strong once again.