History favours Arsenal. Twenty-six wins to Chelsea’s twenty-three. Yet under Sonia Bompastor, Chelsea have never lost to the Gunners and, in recent years, have dominated them. This is a fixture that defines the WSL, built on decades of history and dramatic finals. It’s shaped by legacy, silverware and momentum shifts from Arsenal’s early dominance to Chelsea’s rise under Emma Hayes, making each clash crucial in the league’s narrative.
After beginning the 2025/26 WSL campaign with six wins from their opening seven matches, Chelsea have now won just two out of the last five.
This derby carries weight—title races. Fine margins. Recent meetings have been marked by controversy. In that Arsenal v Chelsea Women 1–1 WSL derby, Chelsea scored first through Alyssa Thompson before Arsenal’s Alessia Russo equalised late; the game was dominated by controversial officiating, with two Arsenal goals ruled out (one for handball and one for offside), sparking primary debate about refereeing and VAR in the league.
Both teams know the stakes. Drop points here, and the gap to Manchester City grows.
Chelsea sit six points behind City and arrive full of belief. A 1–0 away win against City secured a seventh consecutive League Cup final and underlined their intent. A game where City had more of the chances, hitting the post, open goals, but were unable to get them in the back of the net, while Chelsea had minimal chances but took their chances. A match that showed the differences between champions and finalists. Champions capitalise on limited chances.
Since Chelsea's shocking loss against Everton, which has scored 31 goals in seven matches.
They have bounced back strongly from their first league defeat under Bompastor, scoring 31 goals in seven matches. Their last WSL outing ended in a 5–0 win over West Ham, with Lauren James, Sandy Baltimore, and Alyssa Thompson among the scorers.
Sam Kerr is back fit and sharp after scoring twice against Crystal Palace in the FA Cup. Sam Kerr is the top scorer in all competitions with nine goals so far this term.
Pace comes from Alyssa Thompson and Ellie Carpenter, while Kiera Walsh and Aggie Beever-Jones are both fit and available. There is no Niamh Charles this week, but Kiera Walsh and Aggie Beever-Jones are available for selection.
This is a perfect boost for Chelsea as they head into their match against Arsenal.
“I’m really looking forward to it,” said Sonia Bompastor. “I think when you are an athlete or a coach, you want to play in these big games. It will be the two top teams competing at Stamford Bridge. We’ll have the fans' support, which is really exciting. It is obviously a huge game.”
Arsenal arrive with pressure mounting. A 1–0 League Cup semi-final defeat to Manchester United stalled momentum and raised concerns. After 21 shots against United, they will come into this game deflated and desiring to get the ball in the back of the net.
Olivia Smith was sent off in that match, and her suspension carries into the WSL, ruling her out of this fixture.
Emily Fox is back and available.
Their last WSL fixture was against United, which ended in a 0-0 draw, where they dominated but struggled in front of goal, even playing half an hour against 10 players.
They sit ten points off the lead. Anything other than a win could end their title challenge. Leah Williamson remains sidelined after another injury setback following her return earlier in the month. She and Chloe Kelly are progressing well, but won't be ready in time. Why Kyra Cooney-Cross will need to build back up her fitness after returning to training.
That places extra responsibility on Alessia Russo to lead the line and turn control into goals. Arsenal have history in this derby, but form and momentum sit elsewhere. This feels like a line in the season.
Slegers: “I think it's a good moment, and we always love to play these big games. The players rise to the occasion, and we know the task tomorrow. We want to win. We need to win. We need points. In one way, it creates clarity in what we want to achieve and what we're going after tomorrow.
“Of course, [they are] a team that has been winning trophies for a long time. With Emma [Hayes] and now with Sonia [Bompastor] as well. There were a lot of winners in that team. They're a good team. They can do different things. They can be set up in different ways. They have threats that we need to manage excellently.”
Sonia Bompastor (85% - P13 W11 D2) and Renée Slegers (73% - P11 W8 D2 L1) boast the best win rates in WSL London derbies among managers to take charge of at least five.
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