In what may well be the toughest fixture for both teams so far this season, table-toppers Arsenal will host third-placed Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium in a game where both teams cannot afford to put a foot wrong.
Both sides come into this Barclays Women’s Super League fixture with very impressive starts to the 2022/2023 season. The two clubs have scored a combined 33 goals and have only conceded four between them in their first six games.
A crowd of over 35,000 is expected at the Emirates Stadium this evening as two of the Barclays Women’s Super League’s title rivals go head-to-head.
When speaking in the pre-match press conference, Arsenal head coach Jonas Eidevall admitted that he is thrilled to see so many fans snap up tickets for the match.
“It’s a very tough opponent, Manchester United, who I think have started the season great,” said Eidevall. “I’m so pleased that we can again sell such a high number of tickets when we play at the Emirates.
“I think the North London derby was a beautiful experience and together with our fans, we want to try and create the same thing (against Manchester United).
“The Emirates is one of our two homes and from the time I’ve been here, we feel more and more that this is our home. It’s a platform where we’re able to share our love for Arsenal with more people than just ourselves and the team. To see how much energy it creates between the team and the supporters is beautiful.”
Eidevall went on to highlight the strength that Manchester United have with set pieces and putting balls into the box. His side will therefore need to be resolute at the back this evening.
The Gunners boss said “For us, it’s about playing one game at a time, controlling what we can and making the most out of our performances and if we do, we’re confident that we can deliver good results.
“We know United are strong on set pieces and are a very good crossing team as well but for us, it’s about focusing on our organisation. We know how we need to defend crosses and stop them from happening.”
One player who has stood out for Arsenal since her arrival in January and already has four goals this campaign is Swedish sensation Stina Blackstenius, a player who could play a vital role in this game.
“I think Stina’s settled in great,” said Eidevall. “She’s a very good player in running off the ball and that’s one of her strengths but when you see her play, the reason for her being successful is because she has many more dimensions to her game and she’s continuing to develop.”
One key point to note about Arsenal’s season so far is that due to various injuries, Eidevall has had to play certain players in many different positions on the pitch. His side have shown great versatility up and down the pitch, always creating problems for teams as they won’t know the role of some players until that first whistle blows.
“It’s important when we’re looking at squad depth, from not only a numbers perspective, to see how many situations we can deal with because that allows us to have more consistency in our starting XI’s,” Eidevall said.
“If we have versatile players, it means that when we move them to different positions, they’re going to bring something else so we don’t necessarily need to change the formation in order to change the way we play. That can always be helpful.”
Arsenal’s Barclays Women’s Super League fixture against Manchester United kicks-off at 5.30pm. Tickets remain on-sale and can be purchased by clicking here.