The final match of gameweek six in the Women's Super League sees West Ham United Women travel to face league leaders Arsenal Women at Borehamwood on Sunday.
The Gunners will be looking to continue their 100% record in the league this season, while the Hammers are on a five-game unbeaten run in all competitions after a run of three straight defeats at the beginning of the campaign.
Match preview
Jonas Eidevall's side continued their brilliant start to this season with victory in the FA Cup semi-final last weekend, defeating Brighton & Hove Albion 3-0 to set up a Wembley final with rivals Chelsea.
Before the international break, Arsenal won 3-0 against Everton in the WSL thanks to goals from Katie McCabe, Lotte Wubben-Moy and Frida Maanum, and they followed that up with triumph in the Champions League group stages.
The Gunners welcomed German outfit Hoffenheim to Borehamwood in gameweek two of the Champions League and they dispatched their visitors comfortably with a 4-0 win, which was needed after a heavy defeat against European champions Barcelona in the opening round.
Arsenal are the top goalscorers in the WSL this season, netting 19 goals in five games, but West Ham will look to make it difficult for the home side, with the Hammers claiming the third-best defensive record in the league this season.
Although West Ham's defensive stats are not bad, Arsenal's are even better, only conceding two goals in their opening five games, and their visitors have only netted eight times, suggesting that the home side could be on for another clean sheet on Sunday.
Olli Harder's side are on a good run of form, and that was continued on Wednesday evening with a 1-0 win over East London rivals and Championship outfit London City Lionesses, thanks to a single strike from Lucy Parker.
After a really positive result away against Manchester City in the WSL, West Ham would have been disappointed to only claim a 1-1 draw against Birmingham last time out in the league to follow that 2-0 win up.
West Ham allowed Birmingham to create as many chances as themselves on that day, despite dominating possession of the ball, but nonetheless, the Hammers did not lose that outing so their unbeaten streak continued.
The visitors will be looking to vastly improve on the result which came about during the first meeting between these two sides last year, when the Gunners ran out emphatically as 9-1 winners, but Arsenal did only manage a 2-0 win when they hosted West Ham in April.
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- L
- W
- W
- W
- L
- D
- W
- W
- D
- L
- D
- W
- W
- D
- W
Team News
Tobin Heath was ineligible to feature for Arsenal in the FA Cup last weekend, but she is likely to come back into the starting 11 on Sunday, in a front three with Vivianne Miedema and Nikita Parris.
Jennifer Beattie will come into the lineup in place of Wubben-Moy, who started Arsenal's last WSL game, and she will make up a back four also including Noelle Maritz, Leah Williamson and McCabe.
The top seven goalscorers in the WSL at the moment are made up from Arsenal and Chelsea players, and Miedema in particular will want to get on the scoresheet to try and overtake Chelsea's Samantha Kerr at the top.
West Ham will play in a 3-4-3 formation, with Kate Longhurst, Gilly Flaherty and Hawa Cissoko protecting Mackenzie Arnold between the posts for the visitors.
Yui Hasegawa, Claudia Walker and Tameka Yallop will be responsible for trying to offer some attacking threat for the Hammers, as they make up the front three.
Arsenal Women possible starting lineup:
Zinsberger; McCabe, Beattie, Williamson, Maritz; Maanum, Iwabuchi, Little; Parris, Miedema, Heath
West Ham United Women possible starting lineup:
Arnold; Longhurst, Flaherty, Cissoko; Wyne, Brynjarsdottir, Stringer, Svitkova; Hasegawa, Walker, Yallop
We say: Arsenal Women 3-0 West Ham United Women
Arsenal will dominate the ball on Sunday and they are expected to claim all three points given their quality and the current run of form they have put together.
West Ham will look to make it difficult for the home side, and they may keep Arsenal out for the first part of the match, but eventually the Gunners are likely to find a breakthrough.
Top tip
body check tags ::
Previews by email
