Preview: Chelsea v Arsenal Women

We travel to Stamford Bridge for a huge clash with Chelsea in the Women’s Super League at 4.30pm on Sunday.

Victory in the London derby would see us overtake the Blues in the table, as we currently trail them by two points.

We got back to winning ways on Tuesday night, beating HB Koge 1-0 in the UEFA Women’s Champions League.

SONIA’S STRONG START

After suffering a late equaliser in their first WSL game of the season - a 1-1 draw at home to Aston Villa - Chelsea have gone on to win three matches in a row, starting with a 5-0 success away to Manchester United.

Chelsea then put two past Birmingham City without reply, before beating Austria Wien 1-0 on Wednesday in their first Champions League outing.

Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and ourselves are the only teams who remain unbeaten in the WSL. We also share the best defensive record with Chelsea and Everton, each team having conceded just one goal.

WHAT THE MANAGERS SAY

Slegers: “Of course we know what the games are like against Chelsea. Both home and away they’re fights and we want to bring ourselves to the game, that’s most important to us.

“We know the qualities that they possess, the intensity that they can bring to a game. We can do that too, so it’s going to be a big game. It’s going to be a game where two teams are really going to go after it, so it’s going to be an exciting game, an entertaining game." - Read every word of Renée’s pre-Chelsea press conference.

Bompastor: “I’m happy with the way we are performing on the pitch. In terms of results we were a little bit disappointed about the result against Aston Villa. Everyone knows our ambition, so when we start to drop points, it’s not our standard.

“When you want to win the game, you need to make sure you put a strong performance together on the pitch and I’m quite happy with the ones we have been playing recently.”

TEAM NEWS

We have no fresh injury concerns following Tuesday's 1-0 win over HB Koge in the UEFA Women's Champions League, meaning Daphne van Domselaar, Katie Reid, Michelle Agyemang and Elisa de Almeida remain our absentees.

As for Chelsea, late calls will be made on the availability of Lauren James - who missed Wednesday's win - and Keira Walsh, who came off during the match against Austria Wien.

FACTS AND STATS

This will be the 10th meeting between Chelsea and ourselves in all competitions since the 2023/24 season, with both teams picking up four wins apiece in that time (one draw).

We were 2-0 victors in the league at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea last season, but not since the first three WSL campaigns between 2011 and 2013 have we won consecutive WSL away matches versus the Blues.

Ourselves (20) and Chelsea (11) are on the two longest unbeaten runs in the WSL currently.

Having already beat her twice this calendar year, Renée Slegers could be the first manager ever to win three games against Sonia Bompastor in all competitions.

Kim Little could make her 184th WSL appearance for us, equalling Millie Bright for the most outings made for one club in the competition (184 for Chelsea); the Scot has 11 goal involvements against the Blues in WSL (six goals, five assists), and only Beth Mead (14) and Toni Duggan (13) have more.

REF WATCH

Emily Heaslip has been appointed to take charge of Sunday’s fixture, assisted by Isabel Chaplin and Leonni Harland, with Phoebe Cross the Fourth Official.

Heaslip has seen over five games across the WSL and League Two in 2026/27. She was also appointed for our 3-1 win away to Liverpool at the end of last season.

Referee: Emily Heaslip Assistant Referees: Isabel Chaplin and Leonni Harland Fourth Official: Phoebe Cross

HOW TO WATCH

Supporters in the UK can watch this match live on Sky Sports Main Event. Tuning in from elsewhere in the world? Check out which broadcaster has the action in your region.

MEMORABLE MATCHES

Last season’s 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge was one of our best results away to Chelsea. We’ve rounded up six of the top away trips against the Blues, going back to July 2012!