This year's Women's Super League was predicted to be unpredictable. And that pre-season forecast looks accurate after the opening few weeks of the campaign. All eight teams have dropped points in their first two or three games.
Sunday's narrow defeat to Manchester City left Arsenal in the unfamiliar position of propping up the division. Of course, it's still early days and the Gunners have the chance to quickly turn their fortunes around with two home games before the week is out.
Despite a stuttering start to the league season, Shelley Kerr's side have yet another FA Cup final on the horizon and a place in the knockout stages of the Continental Cup firmly within their grasp.
"The team have showed signs of their quality this season but we're looking for that consistency now"
"We're not panicking because we've only played two league games and every team has dropped points and taken points off one another," Kerr told Arsenal.com. "It's going to be like that for the whole season.
"We were disappointed to lose on Sunday because the girls played well and have been doing the right things both on and off the pitch. We are struggling at times to find an opening and give ourselves a cushion in some of the games we've played so far this season.
"The team have showed signs of their quality this season but we're looking for that consistency now. We've got two home more home games and if we can take maximum points then hopefully the table will look much more healthy from our point of view."
Tonight will be the fourth time Arsenal and Birmingham have faced each other this season. David Parker's side came out on top in the Champions League last-16 tie but the Gunners produced a spirited display to win the FA Cup quarter-final last month. The Blues have made a bright start to their league campaign with four points from two games and are emerging as one of the most improved sides in the league.
Shelley Kerr
"We know how they will play and I'm sure David Parker and the Birmingham team will feel the same about us," said Kerr. "It comes down to the players on the night and having that winning edge in the key moments of the game.
"Small things can make a difference and we just need to make sure we give another committed performance and that those decisive moments go our way."
We will have live tweets from the @ArsenalLadies account from tonight's game at Meadow Park. Kick-off is 7.45pm.
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