Women's Super League Weekender: West Ham v Arsenal preview

West Ham United Women v Arsenal Women

Venue: Chigwell Construction Stadium

Kick-off: 1720, Saturday 12 September

Preview

This is the first Barclays Women's Super League match of the season where fans will be allowed into the game. Despite the Government tightening Covid restrictions earlier in the week, up to 1,000 West Ham Women season ticket-holders have been selected to attend at the Hammers' new Dagenham home. 

West Ham were pleased with a point at Tottenham on the opening weekend but will want to impress their fans against an Arsenal side who were rampant in a 6-1 demolition of Reading. The home side will be without Hawa Cissoko and Martha Thomas but captain Gilly Flaherty is expected to make her 50th appearance for the club.

Despite the transfer window closing on Thursday, Arsenal were able to announce the arrival of Lotte Wubben-Moy 24 hours later. The defender was a free agent following three years at the University of North Carolina and returns to the club where she was a trainee. She was also called up to the England squad for the first time this week for a training camp later this month.

Opta Stats

• 16 goals have been scored across the three previous Barclays FA Women’s Super League meetings between West Ham (6) and Arsenal (10), with the Gunners winning 4-2 in their only previous away meeting with West Ham (January 2019).
• Only against Doncaster (8) and Brighton (4) can Arsenal boast a better 100% winning ratio in the Barclays FA Women’s Super League than they have versus West Ham – the Gunners have won each of their three WSL clashes with the Hammers.
• Excluding their games with long standing rivals Chelsea, Arsenal have won all four of their other London derbies in the Barclays FA Women’s Super League, beating Spurs once and West Ham three times.
• West Ham have won each of their last three home games in the Barclays FA Women’s Super League, the same number of victories as they managed across their other 14 top-flight matches on home soil beforehand (D1 L10).
• Adriana Leon has scored three of West Ham’s last five Barclays FA Women’s Super League goals – indeed, she has netted more times than any other Hammers player since the beginning of last season (6).
• In Barclays FA Women’s Super League history, Arsenal duo Kim Little and Danielle van de Donk have scored more London derby goals than any other players (7).