Arsenal Women face the London City Lioness in the fifth round of the FA Cup at the Meadow Park on Sunday.
They will be looking to get back on their feet after the recent elimination from the semi-final stage of the League Cup at the hands of rivals Manchester City. The Gunners are disappointed to miss out on that trophy after lifting it for two consecutive years.
Their chances to lift the league title are also looking slim, leaving only the Champions League and the FA Cup in their sight. They have been drawn against Real Madrid in the quarter-finals of the UCL and against London City Lioness (LCL) in the FA Cup.
🔴 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗖𝗛𝘿𝘼𝙔 ⚪️
🆚 London City Lionesses
⏰ 2pm (UK)
🏆 @AdobeWFACup
🏟️ Meadow Park pic.twitter.com/UugTgxTvfQ— Arsenal Women (@ArsenalWFC) February 9, 2025
Although Arsenal have lifted the latter 14 times, they last tasted success in 2016. Meanwhile, LCL are currently placed in the second tier and have a decent squad.
Meanwhile, Renee Slegers’ team is also struggling with injuries and hence needs to sort their issues as they have to play another game on Thursday. LCL will aim for a major upset, and that makes this game quite interesting to watch.
LAST MEETING BETWEEN BOTH SIDES:
Arsenal last faced LCL at the Princes Park last season, and the host ran out 4-0 winners. Both sides faced each other again at Meadow Park in 2022, and the Gunners grabbed a 1-0 victory thanks to Vivianne Miedema’s first-half strike.
ARSENAL TEAM NEWS:
Slegers has to deal with a long injury list ahead of the weekend showdown. Kim Little remains sidelined due to a hand injury. Similarly, Lina Hurtig continues to struggle with a muscle injury. Beth Mead remains a doubt as she didn’t participate in training.
Picking up the intensity 💪
Take a look Inside Training at Sobha Realty Training Centre 👇
— Arsenal Women (@ArsenalWFC) February 8, 2025
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Chloe Kelly is cup-tied and can’t participate in this match since she has already appeared for Manchester City. Victoria Pelova is close to returning from an ACL injury, but this game might come too soon for her. The fans will hope that she fills the void left in the squad.
Predicted lineup: Zinsberger, McCabe (C), Codina, Wubben-Moy, Reid, Walti, Cooney-Cross, Mariona, Maanum, Kafaji, Blackstenius.
WHAT DID THE MANAGER SAY?
“They’re doing well in the Championship, together with Bristol and Birmingham. So I’m expecting them to come out [and give us a game]. I can’t tell what their plan is. If they’re just going to play the game and do what they always do, or if they adjust against us—we’ll see what they do, but they’re definitely going to give us a game.”
“So we’ll see what [London City] does. We’ll have to prepare for different scenarios, but we play against all kinds of different teams in the league as well. So I think whatever they do, we will have a solution. It’s exciting where the game is at.”
HOW TO WATCH THE GAME:
The game starts at 2:00 pm (UK) at Meadow Park on Sunday. You can also watch the game live at the Women’s FA Cup YouTube channel.
OUR PREDICTED SCORELINE:
Arsenal Women 2-0 London City Lioness
