Match Preview: Bristol City Women vs Arsenal.

The Robins will be looking to claim their third home win of the season and potentially move up to ninth place when the North-London side make the trip to BA2. 

At the other end of the table, a win for the Gunners could possibly push them into the top three and into the Champion League spots.

Last time out: Birmingham City 1-1 Bristol City Women

The Robins moved another point clear of the relegation zone in their last game as they drew 1-1 with Birmingham City.

Charlie Wellings opened the scoring for City when she slammed into an empty net from close range, however a sublime finish from Blues’ captain Christie Murray in the second half meant that either side came away from Solihull with a point. 

A point saw Birmingham remain in ninth as the Robins missed out on the chance to overtake their opponents in the standings. 

Form: 

Bristol City Women

Last five games: WLLDD

The draw against Birmingham meant that City have now drawn their last two games, with the previous being a 1-1 draw against Tottenham Hotspur.

5 points in the last four league games for the Robins has helped them in their push for survival. Only four points now separating bottom place West Ham United and Birmingham in ninth. 

A win against Arsenal would be a massive result for Matt Beard’s side.

Arsenal 

Last five games: LWWW

Since their 3-0 loss to Chelsea at the beginning of February, Arsenal have rediscovered their best form, with the Gunners winning four out of their last four.

During that four-game period, the north London side have scored an impressive 13 goals and conceded zero.

The Gunners are currently 12 points behind table-toppers Chelsea, however the hunt for a Champions League qualification spot is still on, with Joe Montemurro's side only three points behind third-place Manchester United. 

Memory Lane:

• Arsenal 3-1 Bristol City 
• October 4, 2020 
• Meadow Park 
• Barclays FA Women’s Super League

The last meeting between the two sides was at the beginning of the season, where Bristol City fell to a hard-fought victory in North-London losing 3-1 at Meadow Park.

Abi Harrison scored the opener for the Robins, with her long-range strike catching out Manuela Zinsberger early on.

Jordan Nobbs found the equaliser just before half-time when she expertly fired into the far corner, and the Gunners took the lead five minutes after the restart when Caitlin Ford tapped in from close range. 

The Robins pushed for an equaliser as the game went on and ultimately were caught out with minutes remaining. Vivianne Miedema latched onto a long ball and calmly swept past Sophie Baggaley to confirm the three points for her side. 

One to watch: Katie McCabe

The Irish international has hit-form of late, with the versatile winger – who has found herself at left-back more often in recent weeks – scoring two and assisting four in her last four games as Arsenal look to surge up the table. 

McCabe has had a decorated career at Arsenal since her arrival from Shelbourne in 2015, with the 25-year-old winning three trophies in her time at the club.

With three goals and 11 assists in the league this season, McCabe will be a constant threat down the left which City will need to be aware of. 

Word from the camp: Sophie Baggaley

After two draws from they last two games, Sophie Baggaley has called from her side to produce a complete performance if they are to overcome Arsenal.

“We have had good patches over the last couple of games and shown a lot of character,” she said. “However, we’re still searching for a 90-minute performance and playing the way we know we can for the duration of the match.

“On Sunday, we wanted to come out and start the game well because we know we didn’t in the previous week against Tottenham. We did that but we let ourselves down a bit in the second half and got away from what was working for us.

“We know we’re going to need to take our game to the next level this weekend.”

Where to watch:

Supporters can watch Bristol City Women take on Arsenal at Twerton Park on Sunday afternoon (2pm KO) live on the FA Player App.