Arsenal Women will kick-off the new year with one of the biggest fixtures on the calendar when they welcome title rivals Chelsea to the Emirates this weekend.
Last season, the Gunners narrowly missed out on the trophy when Emma Hayes ' side pipped them by just a single point. This term, it's not just the holders they have to contend with as Manchester United have also put themselves within touching distance.
The title race will likely go right to the wire and Jonas Eidevall's side will need a near-perfect second half of the season if they're to keep the pace at the top of the table. In the first half of the campaign, they've been beaten just once in the league as United came from behind to secure a 3-2 victory at the Emirates back in November.
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In order to aid Arsenal's push for silverware in the coming months, some key additions have been made already in the January transfer window. They confirmed the signing of Dutch winger Victoria Pelova from Ajax last week, following long-term injuries to both Vivianne Miedema and Beth Mead and the departure of Jordan Nobbs to Aston Villa.
Eidevall has recruited young talent in 19-year-old Danish star Katherine Kuhl from FC Nordsjælland. The club have also recalled Gio from her loan spell at Everton, after making 11 appearances for the Toffees.
They'll need to ensure no points go a miss as it was arguably the four draws last season that cost them in the long run. Arsenal are also in cup action this month with the visit of Aston Villa in the Conti Cup quarter-final later this month, as well as a fourth-round FA Cup tie against Leeds United.
The Champions League draw for the quarter-finals and semi-finals will take place next month, the Gunners remain the only English side to secure the trophy, Chelsea the only other team to reach the final of the competition, but they missed out to Barcelona in 2021. Having topped group C, above Lyon, Arsenal will meet one of Paris Saint-Germain, Roma and Bayern Munich in the next round.
The quarter-final legs will take place at the end of March, with the semi-finals set to be played a month later should the Gunners progress. The final of the competition will be staged at the PSV Stadion in Eindhoven on June 3.
The standout fixtures for Arsenal include meetings both home and away against Manchester City, who have picked up form after a disappointing start to the season. They also face Manchester United away from home at the end of April, in a bid to put right the late loss against Marc Skinner's side at the Emirates earlier in the campaign.
Arsenal's penultimate game could be a title-decider against Chelsea, before they welcome Aston Villa in their final game of the league season. With just eight points separating first and fourth in the table, it's set to be an incredibly tight, closely contested race for the WSL trophy.
It remains all to play for in every competition as the Gunners look to claim their first trophy since their title win in 2019.
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