We’re back in Adobe Women’s FA Cup action for a fifth round clash with Manchester City at Meadow Park on Sunday afternoon.
It’s a 12.30pm kick-off against Gareth Taylor’s side, who beat Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 away from home in the FA Women’s Continental Tyres League Cup on Wednesday.
We will be looking to show a response to last weekend’s 2-1 defeat at West Ham United in the Barclays Women’s Super League, having not played during the week. Our Conti Cup quarter-final against London City Lionesses will now take place on Wednesday, 14 February.
Last time we met
We’ve faced Man City once already this season, winning 2-1 at Meadow Park in early November.
Steph Catley gave us an early lead in the 14th minute and we stayed ahead until the 72nd minute, when Chloe Kelly found an equalising goal.
Stina Blackstenius was the hero though when she popped up in the 87th minute to provide a late winner for all three points in the WSL.
Facts and stats
- We’re the most successful team in Women’s FA Cup history with a total of 14 titles. Our first trophy came in 1993 with a 3-0 win over Doncaster Belles
- Stina Blackstenius is our top scorer this season with 10 goals across all competitions. Our Swedish striker racked up 18 during the 2022/23 campaign
- We have lost just one of our last five games against Man City, winning three times and drawing once. We haven't lost to Gareth Taylor's side on home soil since 2021
- The last time our Gunners faced City in a knockout competition was last season’s Conti Cup, where a Blackstenius extra-time winner sent us through to the final
Team news
Jonas Eidevall has revealed that Leah Williamson is able to play more minutes than the 45 she got against West Ham last weekend, and is much closer to a full 90-minute game.
No further team news was shared ahead of the clash.
What the managers say
Eidevall on Man City: “It’s a big game against a very good Manchester City. We are really looking forward to it, these are the games that we look forward to playing the most, so it’s going to be an exciting challenge.
“I think we’ve won all of our games against Manchester City that I’ve taken part in at Meadow Park, but they’ve always been quite intense games, challenging games, apart from the one that we won 5-0. I think the games have been decided on small margins and you need to work very hard as a collective to get those, so we know and we understand that that’s going to be the case this Sunday as well.”
Read every word of Jonas’ press conference here.
Taylor on us: “We are showing a real determination now that I've not seen previously. I think the group has been great. It bodes well for the future and we are looking forward to the next couple of games."
Match officials
Referee: Stacey Pearson
Assistant referees: Matthew Joyce and Anastasiya Voloshchuk
Fourth official: Aaron Ford
How to watch
All the action at Meadow Park kicks off at 12.30pm GMT. Supporters in the UK who aren’t in attendance can watch along live on BBC Two, with coverage starting at 12.15pm.
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