Siri Worm excited for Arsenal challenge in FA Cup

Defender Siri Worm is relishing the prospect of playing in another north London derby as we build up to our Women’s FA Cup quarter-final fixture against Arsenal on Sunday (15 March), kick-off is 12.30pm at Meadow Park.

A starter in the first-ever north London derby in the Barclays FA Women’s Super League (WSL) at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in November, Siri got a feel for the rivalry between the two London clubs and is looking forward to potentially experiencing another electric atmosphere on Sunday.

“I think it will be a good game, Arsenal are a tough team but it’s a game we’re looking forward to and excited about,” Siri said. "We have to stick together and work hard for each other like we did against them at the new stadium, but this time, we have to take our chances and then who knows what could happen? 

“It was one of the most incredible games I have played in at the new stadium, especially with it being the first north London derby in the WSL and having a record crowd with an away section. We don’t see that a lot in women’s football and the atmosphere was amazing, I really felt the rivalry which I haven’t experienced much of in my career.”

A Netherlands international with over 30 caps, Siri is familiar with the threats posed by the Dutch players within the Arsenal squad and although she hasn’t been involved in the national team in recent times, the 27-year-old is hopeful of representing her country again soon.

“I think Vivianne Miedema is one of the best strikers in the world,” Siri commented. “I’ve played with her for the last seven years in the national team and even at 16 years old, she was such a dangerous player. I think she has everything, it’s really hard to defend against her and she just needs one chance and she’ll score. It’s no secret they have quality all over the pitch and Danielle Van Der Donk is another impressive player who is very technical, and her work rate is excellent.

“Of course, I’d love to be back in the Dutch team. It’s really important for me to keep pushing for selection, I never give up and I still believe in myself. I feel that I have improved since being at Spurs compared to last season, so we’ll see.”

A set-piece specialist, Siri scored two sublime free-kicks in both of our FA Cup fixtures this season against Barnsley and Coventry United where we went on to win 5-0 on both occasions.

On her recent form, the defender commented: “I was really excited to show my quality on the pitch in the second half of the season, I think my goal against Reading before Christmas was a good start for me. Obviously, everyone wants to be in the starting line-up but even when you’re not playing here, the girls stay positive for you and do what they can to help you get back into the team. Even though I haven’t been playing every game, I always have confidence in myself and believe that I can score and really make a difference from set pieces. I work a lot on my set pieces in training, I know last year I didn’t score that many from them but I have people around me now who constantly tell me that I can do it and that’s been really important for me, having people around me who believe in me.”