Chelsea midfielder Sjoeke Nüsken believes beating Arsenal would send an early statement about the Blues’ Women’s Super League ambitions.
Sonia Bompastor’s side host Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on Sunday afternoon in one of the biggest fixtures of the opening weeks of the season.
Nüsken, Lucy Bronze and Lauren James have now discussed the significance of the rivalry in an interview with Chelsea’s official website.
Sjoeke Nüsken wants Chelsea statement
Nüsken believes the timing of the fixture makes victory particularly significant.
The Germany international said beating Arsenal is “always a statement”, while also pointing to last season’s Champions League quarter-final defeat as additional motivation.
Chelsea won the second leg 1-0 at Stamford Bridge but were eliminated 3-2 on aggregate.
Our Chelsea Women vs Arsenal head-to-head guide shows just how closely matched the rivals have been recently, with four wins apiece and one draw across their last nine meetings in all competitions.
Bronze believes Sunday’s contest will also provide an important measure of Chelsea’s early-season level.
The defender described Arsenal as one of the sides Chelsea expect to compete with for major honours and said facing them now offers a useful indication of where Bompastor’s team stands.
James added that one match will not decide the season, although the former Arsenal youngster acknowledged the extra motivation involved in facing her old club.
Chelsea enter the derby unbeaten in the WSL, but Bompastor still has decisions to make over her side.
Our Chelsea Women predicted XI against Arsenal looks at those selection calls ahead of the 4.30pm BST kick-off.
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