The business end of the season carries plenty of jeopardy for Arsenal. Jonas Eidevall’s side have the chance to defend their Conti Cup crown against Chelsea at the end of March but the honour they really crave – the Women’s Super League title – remains Chelsea’s to lose. <\/p>\n
Arsenal have the quality to beat the regularly infallible Blues in a straight shootout.<\/p>\n
The Gunners have already demonstrated their ability to outclass Emma Hayes’ side in a one-off 90 minutes with a 4-1 demolition at Emirates Stadium<\/a> back in December. The contest was as one-sided as it has ever been.<\/p>\n Chelsea-Arsenal is the most played fixture in WSL history, with the head-to-head record perfectly balanced at 10 wins apiece.<\/p>\n For Arsenal to tip this year’s title race in their favour they are going to have to edge ahead in the head-to-head battle, because nothing less than victory at Stamford Bridge on Friday will keep them realistically in the running.<\/p>\n Eidevall knows his side have to go after the win. Naturally, that is Arsenal’s usual modus operandi, but there is very little room for error.<\/p>\n Any slip-up effectively rules them out of contention, given they already have a three-point deficit to make up on both Chelsea and second-placed Manchester City – who will also have a watchful eye on Friday’s proceedings.<\/p>\n Opta’s season predictor gives Eidevall a 3.3 per cent chance of winning his first WSL title and that feels unfairly harsh. Barely a ghost of a chance, albeit a lot hinges on Friday’s outcome.<\/p>\n Arsenal blew Chelsea away in the league three months ago. Tactically Eidevall got it spot on, as Arsenal’s energy married perfectly with the electricity of a spicy Emirates crowd. It was a performance full of power, awareness and class – one that got fans purring over its prospective title potential.<\/p>\n The intangible feeling that surrounded the Gunners at that point was best summed up by Eidevall himself: “This is the best we have played… we have shown potential this season but not really played at that level”. And the level he is referring to was quite breathtaking.<\/p>\n Not since Chelsea conceded four against Barcelona in the 2021 Champions League final have they been forced to swallow quite such a bitter pill.<\/p>\n “We were bullied,” Hayes summarised. She also used the term “struggled” four times in her post-match address. It marked Chelsea’s heaviest league defeat in five years.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n
\n Friday 15th March 6:30pm
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\n Kick off 7:00pm
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