Arsenal face Everton on Saturday and while the Gunners are favoured to win, Renee Slegers is expecting the Toffees to put up a good fight.
Everton shocked Chelsea last weekend, ending the WSL champions’ 34-game unbeaten run in the league.
Can Everton challenge Arsenal?
Arsenal and Everton are fighting two different battles this season and with 11 points separating the clubs, it is hard to imagine anything other than a win for the Gunners on Saturday.
But despite their position in the table, Everton have been in good form of late.
Renee Slegers certainly wasn’t quick to dismiss an ‘unpredictable’ Toffees side ahead of this weekend’s clash.
“I highly respect Everton and Brian [Sørensen] for the team they are,” Slegers said. “They’re a very unpredictable team. They can do different things, so it’s always, at the start of the game, having a good look at what their plan is and what their structure is and what they try to do.”
Brian Sørensen’s team rounded off their League Cup campaign last week with a resounding three points against Newcastle. The cup win was their first this season since beating Liverpool in the WSL on opening day.
It was last weekend’s shock win against Chelsea that really turned heads though, as Everton caused the upset of the year away from home.
BRIAN SØRENSEN BRINGS AN END TO AN HISTORIC 585-DAY UNBEATEN STREAK.@EvertonWomen are the first team to beat Chelsea in a #BarclaysWSL fixture since their city neighbours, Liverpool, did in May 2024 🤯 pic.twitter.com/XGaFQs9y9Z
— Barclays Women’s Super League (@BarclaysWSL) December 7, 2025
Everton didn’t just beat Chelsea, but they held them to a clean sheet too. The loss to Everton was the first league game Chelsea have failed to score in since Sonia Bompastor took over in 2024.
“I can imagine they take a lot of belief out of that [Chelsea] performance,” Slegers continued. “We expect a hard game against Everton. I think if you look at the Twente game, we might be asked similar questions or similar challenges, but I think the physicality, the tempo, I think they have a lot of threat on transition.”
Arsenal edged past Twente 1-0 in the Champions League on Wednesday and Everton may play a similar low block to keep the Gunners at bay.
Arsenal need the win more
Everton remain on the fringes of the relegation battle which is currently being contested between West Ham and Liverpool.
The Toffees hold a six point advantage over their local rivals who currently sit rock bottom of the WSL.
Of course, only one team is up for relegation this season with the WSL expanding to 14 teams from next year.
Whoever finishes bottom of the top flight will face third place from WSL2 in a playoff for the right to compete in the first-ever 14 team WSL campaign next year.
With all that being said, it feels as if Arsenal need the three points even more than their hosts this weekend.
How the tables look after this weekend’s action 📊#BarclaysWSL #BarclaysWSL2 pic.twitter.com/LGox6Qv3o5
— Barclays Women’s Super League (@BarclaysWSL) December 7, 2025
Everton have a big enough cushion below them in the table to prevent relegation, but Arsenal are falling behind the league leaders rapidly.
Manchester City are now eight points ahead of the Gunners in the table as we approach the midway point in the season and Renee Slegers’ team simply cannot afford to drop more points if they are to compete for the title.
