Arsenal head coach Renee Slegers has confirmed that Kim Little will miss their WSL clash with Chelsea, but the Gunners will be boosted by the return of four players.
The Gunners host Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium in one of the early kickoffs on Saturday afternoon.
It already feels like a must-win match for Renee Slegers’ side, who are five points behind Chelsea after a mixed start to the campaign.
Ahead of tomorrow’s match, Slegers provided some mixed injury news during her pre-match press conference.
Kim Little to miss Arsenal clash with Chelsea
Arsenal midfielder Kim Little will miss their clash with Chelsea on Saturday, after suffering a minor knock during the Gunners’ 4-1 victory over Leicester City last week.
Little limped off in the 88th minute of their victory over Leicester and has not recovered in time for Saturday’s must-win clash.
Speaking during her pre-match press conference, Slegers said it was ‘unlikely’ that Little would feature against Chelsea.
When asked about her availability, she said: “Probably, she won’t. We’ve had our last session, and the game is tomorrow, so I would expect her to be unavailable tomorrow.”
It is a blow for Arsenal, with the midfielder still an ever-present in the starting XI at the age of 35.
Little has started every game for the Gunners this season, and Slegers will have a big decision to make on who slots into the midfield in her place.
Which four Arsenal players are back for their clash with Chelsea?
Arsenal quartet Olivia Smith, Frida Maanum, Kyra Cooney-Cross and Lotte Wubben-Moy are back in contention to feature against Chelsea.
The four players were all unavailable for Arsenal in their 4-1 win over Leicester last week.
Smith withdrew from international duty to the frustration of Canada head coach Casey Stoney.
Stoney felt that the 20-year-0ld had not been protected enough by officials during their friendly with the Netherlands, where Smith went off with a hip injury.
Wubben-Moy also withdrew from international duty due to illness. Maanum picked up a knock for Norway during the recent international break, while Cooney-Cross was also suffering from an illness.
Their respective return means Arsenal will possess plenty of depth when they face Chelsea on Saturday.
Arsenal were also boosted this week by the return to grass training of centre-back Leah Williamson, who has not played since the Euro 2025 final.
Can Arsenal close the gap to the league leaders?
Despite the return of some key players, Arsenal will be underdogs when they play a Chelsea side who are unbeaten in their last 32 WSL games.
The Gunners could be as many as eight points behind Chelsea on Saturday if they lose at the Emirates Stadium.
There are some encouraging stats, though, that indicate that the Gunners could walk away with the three points.
Chelsea have underperformed when looking at their attacking statistics, while the likes of Stina Blackstenius and Mariona Caldentey have provided numbers which will give Sonia Bompastor’s side something to think about on Saturday.
Will Arsenal vs Chelsea break the WSL attendance record?
Slegers, during her pre-match press conference, also revealed that 57,000 tickets have been sold for Saturday’s match.
This is short of the 60,160 fans that turned up to watch Arsenal beat Manchester United 3-1 in February 2024.
