Since this article was published, the game has been postponed due to COVID-19 cases in the Tottenham squad. A new date for the fixture will be announced in due course.
Women's Super League leaders Arsenal Women can not afford to drop any points between now and the end of the season if they are to be crowned champions of England, as Chelsea are only two points behind with a game in hand.
North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur Ladies must also look to win all of their remaining matches if they are to finish in third spot and qualify for the Champions League, as they currently sit four points behind Manchester United, also with a game in hand.
Match preview
© Reuters
Jonas Eidevall's side have had significantly less time to recover from their last match than Spurs would have had, as the Gunners faced Wolfsburg in the Champions League on Wednesday evening.
In their first-leg quarter-final tie, the German outfit went 1-0 ahead at the Emirates, but an 89th-minute equaliser from lifelong Arsenal fan Lotte Wubben-Moy ensured that the English side go into next week's second leg level.
Prior to that, Arsenal eased into the next round of the FA Cup with a 4-0 win against Championship side Coventry United, with their last league outing coming over a month ago.
A 3-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion was a perfect result for Eidevall's side, and they are expected to have to need to win their remaining five WSL games to have a chance of lifting the trophy in May.
The league title's destiny is in Chelsea's hands as if they win their last six games then they will have retained their title, and Arsenal's involvement in the Champions League may make their run in more difficult.
© Reuters
Spurs could have done Arsenal a massive favour by taking points from Chelsea on Wednesday evening, but that match was postponed late on in the day after a coronavirus outbreak in Tottenham's squad.
That means that Tottenham's last outing was on 13 March, when they fell to their first defeat on home soil as Manchester City claimed a 1-0 win over Rehanne Skinner's side.
With this fixture against the Gunners and still having to play Chelsea twice before the season closes, Spurs could play a major role in the destiny of the title, but they will be more focused on trying to get themselves in the top three.
Currently sitting four points behind Man United suggests that Spurs will have to win all of their remaining games to climb back into a Champions League qualifying spot, which will be a tough task given the calibre of teams still left to face.
After a heavy 5-1 defeat against Arsenal in the FA Cup in September, which was the first meeting between these two sides this season, Spurs improved greatly to earn a 1-1 draw in the reverse league fixture.
- W
- D
- D
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- D
- D
- L
- W
- W
- D
- L
- L
- L
- W
- W
- D
- L
Team News
© Reuters
Eidevall adapted his formation in midweek to set his side up in a back three including Wubben-Moy, Leah Williamson and Steph Catley, but the Gunners are expected to revert back to a defensive four in the WSL.
Vivianne Miedema is likely to remain in her new, deeper role, to allow Stina Blackstenius to continue to lead the line for Arsenal, who also have an attacking threat from Katie McCabe and Beth Mead.
Kim Little is certain to start in midfield, and she could be joined by Lia Walti and Miedema, with the hosts aiming to put Spurs under a lot of pressure in front of their own crowd at the Emirates.
So-Hyun Cho made her first start in the league since December last time out, and she could lead the line with Rachel Williams for the visitors.
Skinner may opt to set her side up with five at the back, including Ashleigh Neville, Molly Bartrip, Shelina Zadorsky, Asmita Ale and Kerys Harrop, to offer goalkeeper Becky Spencer as much support as possible.
Arsenal Women possible starting lineup:
Zinsberger; Catley, Williamson, Wubben-Moy, Maritz; Walti, Little, Miedema; McCabe, Blackstenius, Mead
Tottenham Hotspur Ladies possible starting lineup:
Spencer; Neville, Bartrip, Zadorsky, Ale, Harrop; Clemaron, Summanen, Percival; Williams, Cho
We say: Arsenal Women 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur Ladies
The North London derby to be played at the Emirates will create a good atmosphere which should in turn make the game quite open, with both teams wanting to secure three points on the main stage.
Arsenal left themselves vulnerable to counter attacks against Wolfsburg, which is where Spurs will try to hurt their hosts, but the league leaders should have enough momentum behind them to get them through.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Arsenal Women win with a probability of 72.06%. A draw had a probability of 17.2% and a win for Tottenham Hotspur Ladies had a probability of 10.71%.
The most likely scoreline for an Arsenal Women win was 2-0 with a probability of 12.37%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-0 (10.74%) and 3-0 (9.5%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (8.19%), while for a Tottenham Hotspur Ladies win it was 0-1 (3.56%). The actual scoreline of 3-0 was predicted with a 9.5% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole and our data analysis both correctly predicted that Arsenal Women would win this match.
