Two jugganauts of women’s football in Arsenal and Chelsea will come to blows once again in the FA Cup semi-final on Sunday.
There is no love lost between the pair who have been jousting for the top of the Women’s Super League all season. The clubs also came up against one another in the delayed 20/21 FA Cup final in December.
The Blues came away with the trophy after a 3-0 drubbing of the Gunners at Wembley. A Fran Kirby goal and Sam Kerr brace gave Chelsea their first ever domestic treble and now the club have the opportunity to make more history.
There is added context to the tie with Chelsea hoping to send stalwart player Jonna Anderson off at the end of the season with more silverware. The defender is heading to Hammarby IF at the conclusion of the campaign after joining Chelsea in the 2017/18 season.
Arsenal, meanwhile, are trying to keep hold of star striker Vivianne Miedema who has registered interest at multiple clubs including Champions League holders Barcelona. She has hinted silverware could be the key to get her to stay.
“In the coming weeks, I have to get a feel for the right club,” Miedema told Algemeen Dagblad. “The door for Arsenal is definitely not closed yet. I would like to win the Champions League.
“I want to get the most out of it. That means I may have to take the next step. I’m 25 and that’s still quite young, but I’ve been around for a while. The years that are coming now officially belong to me, I have to spend them somewhere at a club that best suits my ambitions.”
The WSL trophy is slipping away from Arsenal, the club are a point behind Chelsea with three rounds to go and so there’s added pressure for a trophy in the FA Cup. The Gunners are also out of the Champions League, as are Chelsea.
Whoever gets to the final out of Arsenal vs Chelsea will face the winner of the other semi involving West Ham and Manchester City.
Both semis are on the BBC with Sunday’s London clash on BBC Two with a 12.30pm kick-off, while the Hammers’ fixture against City is on BBC One on Saturday with a 12.15pm kick-off time.
