We continue our defence of the Continental Tyres Cup on Sunday when we travel to The Dripping Pan to face Lewes Women.
THE STORY SO FAR
We come into this fixture in fine form having won our first two outings of the season.
The first of which was a 3-1 win over West Ham United in the Conti Cup, with goals from Katie McCabe (2) and Beth Mead sealing the points.
Vivianne Miedema then hit a hat-trick on the opening day of the Women’s Super League season, as we beat Liverpool 5-0 at Meadow Park.
Lisa Evans and Kim Little also found the back of the net, meaning we’re averaging a return of four goals per game so far.
Joe Montemurro opted for a rotated side following a busy international break - and a number of players thrived in new positions. McCabe proved to be a real attacking threat from left back, while Evans was a reliable option at right-back.
THE OPPOSITION
Lewes Women kicked off their Continental Tyres Cup campaign with an emphatic 5-0 win over Charlton, before slipping to a 4-1 defeat against West Ham United.
We’re level on points with Lewes and West Ham in Group D of the competition, but the former currently sits at the top of the table having scored six goals in their opening two fixtures.
Lewes also played their first FA Women’s Championship fixture of the season last week, as they ran out 3-0 winners over Millwall Lionesses. Samantha Quayle, Rebecca Carter and Avilla Bergin secured all three points with three first-half strikes.
MANAGER’S NOTES
“We’ve seen a couple of [Lewes’] games, but I think the focus is really going to be about us, how we’re going to play and showcasing our football,” Montemurro told Arsenal.com.
“That’s the most important thing for me. It’s a great opportunity to give some players some more game time. Jess Samuelsson’s now starting to come to the fore, which is fantastic and it’s great to have her back.”
ONE TO WATCH
With Leah Williamson nursing an injury, Dominique Bloodworth has the opportunity to start at centre back for the second game running.
Her ability on the ball and wide passing range could be a vital asset to Montemurro’s side on Sunday, as they aim to break down an organised and resilient Lewes side. If selected, Bloodworth will be responsible for kickstarting our attacking moves from the back.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
The game will take place at The Dripping Pan with kick-off at 2pm (UK time).
You can get live updates by following us at @ArsenalWFC.
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