Sports

Arsenal host London City Lionesses in a Women's Super League test with changes on both sides

Errol MayfieldPublished 2m ago2 min readBased on 1 source
Arsenal host London City Lionesses in a Women's Super League test with changes on both sides
Photo by Bryn Holmes / CC BY-SA 2.0

Arsenal host London City Lionesses in the Women's Super League on Sunday, with both sides making changes to their starting teams. Kick-off is at 4.30pm UK time.

The stakes are clear from the table. London City Lionesses were third in the Women's Super League, the top tier of English women's football, and six points ahead of Arsenal before the match. Arsenal were sixth. They had not yet won a home league game this season and had drawn all four of their home matches so far.

Arsenal come into the game after a 1-1 draw at Barcelona at the Camp Nou on Thursday night. Frida Maanum put Arsenal ahead, and Caroline Graham Hansen levelled for Barcelona. The Guardian's live coverage lists the teams, and the main change is at the back. Elisa de Almeida and Ona Batlle come in for Steph Catley and Taylor Hinds.

Arsenal's starting eleven is Misa, Fox, Williamson, de Almeida, Batlle, Little, Stanway, Baum, Maanum, Foord and Russo. Lisa Baum and Caitlin Foord play either side of Alessia Russo, the central striker, while Maanum sits in midfield. Catley and Hinds start on the bench.

The visitors have made two changes of their own, both in attack. Kadidiatou Diani and Izzy Goodwin replace Nicole Anyomi and Delphine Cascarino, who drop to the bench. Earps starts in goal, with Putellas and van de Donk linking the midfield and forward line.

A team sheet is the list of players picked to start, and it tells you a lot before a ball is kicked. Here, it shows Arsenal shuffling their defence after a tough week in Spain, and London City Lionesses trying a different way to unlock a defence. Both managers have reasons to want a result. Arsenal need to stop the home draws. London City Lionesses need to keep pace with the teams above them.

Chelsea went top of the table in the same round, beating Manchester City 1-0 to move above them. That means the chasing pack is tight, and a few points can change who is at the top by the end of the afternoon.

For Arsenal fans, the question is simple. Can the side turn a difficult away draw into a home win? For the visitors, the game is a chance to strengthen a place in the top three. Kick-off is 4.30pm, and the rest will be decided on the pitch.

Related Articles