Blues women travel down to the Emirates Stadium, for the first time in the club’s history this Saturday lunch time to face under pressure Arsenal Head Coach Renée Slegers who sit in 10th place in the WSL table . For Amy Merricks blue and white army there are still looking for their first win of the season, and she’s needs to get that first win as soon as possible.
For Blues last time out, we fall to defeat to Everton when a former Blues loanee Ruby Mace scored a brace against Amy Merricks Blues who are still looking for their first win of the season. The only positive out of the game was the form of our French Superstar Oceane Hurtre whose form this season has been recognised by the French FA, and it was a senior debut to remember for are superstar has she got an assist and a goal in France’s 9-0 win over Latvia.
But Blues can’t just relay on Hurtre to keep Blues up this season the team needs to step up to the plate and get us that first win of the WSL season. And has Crystal Palace have shown us this season you can hurt Arsenal when there went to the Emirates Stadium and got a brilliant 0-0 draw there.
For the under-pressure Arsenal head coach Renée Slegers, it has been a difficult start to the season, but this is Arsenal and Renée needs to get results as quickly as possible otherwise she is out of the door. The board have backed Renée in the transfer window bringing in Georgia Stanway from Bayern Munich & Ona Batlle from Barcelona the standout signings. But it isn’t the players she has brought into the club that is the problem it’s the players she has let go I think is the problem especially Arsenal legend Beth Mead going to rivals Manchester City and of course another transfer that people were talking about was Katie McCabe joining London rivals Chelsea in the summer.
On the pitch the gunners have been all over the place the last time out there lost to Manchester City 4-2 Arsenal took the lead twice in the game with Lisa Baum scoring before the break and Alessia Russo giving the gunners a 2-1 lead but Manchester City are always a threat goals from a brace for Lauren Hemp a wonderful goal from Kerstin Casparji and of course who else Bunny Shaw finishing the game off in the 84th minute giving the blue moon all three points.
On Saturday Blues need to be defensively resilient and if we can quiet the Arsenal fans down, I think the pressure will get onto the players all I want on Saturday is a performance to be proud of.
My three players to look out for are
1 My first player is of course Alessia Russo always a talented player, but this season has not been at her best but in any game she can be a game changer.
2 The second is Arsenal’s top goal scorer this season in Lisa Baum who has started her gunner’s career in fine form. She has joined Arsenal this summer from German side RB Leipzig where she made 26 appearances and scored six goals in her one season with the club.
3 And my third is an all-time great for Arsenal in Kim Little who has scored 175 goals – second only to Jayne Ludlow’s 211 – in 378 appearances up to the end of last season. 2024/25 season was the crowning glory of club captain Kim’s Arsenal career as she finally got to lift the UEFA Champions League trophy, having originally joined the club in 2008 when we were the reigning European champions. She featured 36 times in all competitions last term (her joint-second highest tally) and although she now plays in a deeper role than in her free-scoring younger days, she remains as influential as ever and was named Player of the Match in the 4-1 win at Lyon in the Champions League semi-final second leg.
The game will be at the Emirates Stadium and it will be a 12:45pm kick off.