Man Utd vs Arsenal: Marc Skinner and Jonas Eidevall preview 'heavyweight contest' in WSL title race
Man Utd, Chelsea, Arsenal and Man City all have a chance of winning the Women's Super League this season; just five (six for some) games remain in one of the tightest WSL title races in recent history; follow the rest of the WSL season live on Sky Sports until May 27
Wednesday 19 April 2023 19:58, UK
The race for the Women's Super League title is set to take another twist on Wednesday as Manchester United and Arsenal face off at Leigh Sports Village.
Just three points separate the top four teams in the WSL, with United out in front and Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City tantalisingly close behind them.
United have played a game more than the third-placed Gunners and are just three points ahead, so a victory for either side could go a long way to deciding the final destination of the WSL trophy.
- The best WSL title race ever: Man Utd vs Arsenal to decide the season?
- WSL fixtures: Watch the title race unfold live on Sky Sports
- Stream all WSL games live with a NOW pass
Marc Skinner's side made it through to their first FA Cup final by beating Brighton on Saturday, while Jonas Eidevall's team have not played since the international break and will have one eye on Sunday's Champions League semi-final first leg away at Wolfsburg.
United won the last meeting 3-2 at the Emirates Stadium back in November, but who will land a potentially devastating blow as the season approaches its fascinating conclusion? Here's what both managers have had to say ahead of the game...
Skinner: Title race will go down to the wire
Manchester United manager Marc Skinner: "Hopefully this game goes in our favour, so it can be pretty decisive [in the title race]. But I still think there's enough going in the games coming up. There are key injuries to some teams as well. As exciting as I think it will be, I still think it will go down to the last games.
"This is a key game, I'm not downplaying that, but I still think there's a lot to go ahead first before we start looking at that.
"There are two ways we can look at this match. Arsenal haven't played since the international break so could have some freshness, but the reality is we probably got our rustiness out against Brighton on Saturday.
"We were a little bit rusty and it wasn't our most vintage performance, so hopefully we've got that out of our legs and we can get into stride quickly and hopefully against Arsenal, they don't have that.
"It will be about key little details, but it will be a very difficult game. We know how good Arsenal are. They're in the semi-finals of the Champions League for a reason.
"I'm sure they and Jonas are going to be focused on trying to get the three points. We know the threat that they have, they way Jonas wants to play, we know their adaptations, so it will be a very difficult game.
"It's almost like a heavyweight contest. One punch from anyone can knock the other one out, so we have to make sure we're the team who is the aggressor.
"We're going to have to rely heavily on our fanbase as well, because we want to turn our home into a fortress."
Man Utd early team news
Skinner will still be without defender Maria Thorisdottir and midfielder Lisa Naalsund, who are both sidelined with injury problems.
Thorisdottir sustained a long-term mid-foot injury at the end of March and will miss the remainder of the season, but Naalsund is recovering well from a hamstring issue.
"Maria is due back in on Tuesday," Skinner said. "We gave her a little bit of time to go home and then she can start her rehab effectively.
"Lisa has been back on the field training individually and will hopefully be in contention, potentially, for the FA Cup final [on May 14]."
Eidevall: Every game vital - Man Utd no different
Arsenal manager Jonas Eidevall: "Every game until the end of the season is going to be important and the game on Wednesday is no different.
"United work very hard and are very solid defensively. They have a clear idea of how they play. So I expect that and we need to deal with that in the best way possible.
"When you prepare for United, you know 10 of the 11 players who are going to play. Sometimes they change one of the wide forward positions, otherwise, they always pick the same players."
Arsenal early team news
Arsenal captain Kim Little, who signed a new contract with the club on Tuesday, will miss the rest of the campaign due to a hamstring injury suffered during last month's Champions League quarter-final with Bayern Munich.
Long-term absentees Vivianne Miedema and Beth Mead also remain sidelined for the Gunners, but Steph Catley is fit to return to the matchday squad.
- Arsenal captain Kim Little signs new contract after injury setback
- Women's Super League table | Women's Super League fixtures
- Get Sky Sports | Download the Sky Sports App
Asked how Little's unavailability will impact Arsenal at a crucial stage of the campaign, Eidevall said: "Of course, it would hurt any team to lose a player like Kim, but we have managed to handle absence and we need to show that adaptability again.
"We need to keep our key principles in the way we play but adapt it to the individuals who now need to play for us. We have a lot of quality in our squad and I have a lot of trust and belief in the players we have. I also believe our focus should be on what we have, not what we don't have.
"It's an opportunity for players to step up and show their qualities."
Opta stats: Can Man Utd complete double over Arsenal?
- Manchester United won the reverse fixture 3-2 against Arsenal and could become just the third different team to complete the WSL double over the Gunners, after Chelsea (twice) and Manchester City (twice).
- Arsenal have won two of their three WSL away games against Manchester United (L1), winning this exact fixture 2-0 last season.
- Manchester United have lost just one of their last 11 WSL games (W8 D2), going down 1-0 at Chelsea last month. Their last home defeat in the competition was also against Chelsea in November (W4 D1 since).
- Having failed to win any of their first three WSL games in 2023 (D2 L1), Arsenal have now won their last four by an aggregate score of 13-2.
- Manchester United have the best big chance conversion rate in the WSL this season, netting with 65.7% such chances so far this term (23/35).
LISTEN: Three Players and a Podcast
Hosted by Caroline Barker, Three Players and a Podcast sees Jen Beattie (currently playing for Arsenal), Izzy Christiansen (currently playing for Everton) and Rachel Yankey (former WSL player and England international) bring three topics to the table each episode. Topical or historical, light-hearted or hard-hitting - we'll discuss the important issues and debates surrounding women's football.
Subscribe now on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify
