THE LOWDOWN
Arsenal will face Bristol City at home in the fifth round of the FA Cup on Sunday at Meadow Park. It’s the second consecutive season that Slegers’ side will face Bristol City at home in the FA Cup after winning 5-0 in the fourth round last season. Aston Villa at home was not the easiest draw that the Gunners could have asked for in the fourth round but they got the job done with a professional 2-0 win.
After a period of games that saw them play Manchester United twice, Chelsea, Manchester City and Corinthians in quick succession, a pair of games against Leuven and an FA Cup home tie against a second tier side represents a change in gears. Arsenal confidently dispatched Leuven 7-1 on aggregate in the Champions League while the WSL game at Brighton was postponed.
This marks the final game before a three week international break for Slegers and her staff to take stock. Qualifying for the FA Cup quarter-final is the most important objective for the team for the weekend, however. Arsenal have won the competition a record 14 times but haven’t won it for 10 years now and haven’t been to the final since 2021.
Slegers used the Leuven ties to share some game time among the squad and to reintegrate Leah Williamson after injury, so it will be interesting to see how her team selection looks on Sunday with Fox, Williamson and Little rested to the bench and Olivia Smith suspended.
TEAM NEWS
There was no Friday press conference this week so team news is slightly less clear than usual, but Stina Blackstenius could return to the squad with Slegers admitting on Wednesday that the Swede was close to a return. She was also included in the Sweden squad for the upcoming internationals.
Beth Mead (shin) is still out but Kyra Cooney-Cross should return from illness. Katie Reid, Michelle Agyemang and Manuela Zinsberger are all out with ACL injuries. Olivia Smith returns after being suspended for the Champions League game against Leuven in midweek.
Available squad
Goalkeepers: 13.Votikova 14.van Domselaar 28.Borbe 40.Williams
Defenders: 2.Fox 3.Wubben-Moy 5.L.Codina 6.Williamson 7.Catley 11.McCabe 24.Hinds 31.Holmberg 44.Harwood
Midfielders: 8.Mariona 10.Little(c) 12.L.Maanum 21.Pelova 32.Cooney-Cross
Forwards: 15.Smith 18.Kelly 19.Foord 23.Russo 25.Blackstenius
LAST TIME OUT
When the teams met in the FA Cup last season, Arsenal ran out 5-0 winners at Meadow Park thanks to braces from Stina Blackstenius and Beth Mead and a goal from Frida Maanum.
THE OPPOSITION
Bristol City are in the thick of the chase for promotion from WSL2, with Charlton running away with the title, the team that finishes 2nd in WSL will playoff will also be promoted and the team that finishes 3rd will playoff against the team that finishes bottom of the WSL for an additional spot in the top tier next season.
Bristol City are currently 4th but only two points from 3rd and three points from 2nd. The Robins have been frequent participators in the top-flight and even played Champions League football in 2014 when they were known as Bristol Academy. They last played in the WSL in 2023-24 and have been something of a yoyo club in recent years but the upcoming expansion of the WSL from 12 to 14 teams gives them a real opportunity to establish themselves in the top-flight.
They have Arsenal striker Jess Gale on loan and the 19-year-old is flourishing after spending the first half of the campaign on loan at Portsmouth. Gale will not be able to play on Sunday. City are currently coached by Charlotte Healy, who is a former assistant of Marc Skinner’s at Manchester United, having also coached at Manchester City and Liverpool.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Whether she starts or not remains to be seen but Chloe Kelly’s return from injury has been very welcome. Kelly picked up a knee injury after the opening game of the season against London City Lionesses and essentially never fully recovered. Another knee injury picked up on international duty in November was unwelcome but it probably gave her the time she needed to fully recover.
With Beth Mead injured recently and with Caitlin Foord off to the Asian Cup in March, Kelly’s return is very timely. Her excellent display in Leuven demonstrated what Arsenal had been missing, especially when it comes to her delivery into the penalty area. Kelly can execute excellent crosses from the right and left sides and she also tucks in as an additional 10 really well.
She was a crucial part of Arsenal’s Champions League winning team last season and I think we maybe forgot a little how much she brings to the team. Her assist for Olivia Smith in Belgium was an apt reminder of her creativity and delivery, elements that Arsenal’s game has been a little short on at times this season.
PREDICTED LINE UPS
Subs: 3.Wubben-Moy 5.L.Codina 8.Mariona 11.McCabe 13.Votikova 23.Russo 25.Blackstenius 28.Borbe 32.Cooney-Cross
HOW TO CATCH THE GAME
The game takes place at Meadow Park with a 1pm kickoff on Sunday. The game is not being broadcast and Arsenal are not allowed to stream it per the conditions of the FA Cup’s new broadcast deal this season since the game clashes with other games that have been selected for broadcast.
COMING UP
We will have the team line-up posted around an hour before kickoff, then we will have every word of Renee Slegers’ post-match press conference around an hour after full-time. Jamie and I will record a mailbag podcast for you on Tuesday since there is no way for Jamie to watch the game live! Please don’t forget to sign up to our free Arsenal Women Weekly Newsletter here.