Opposition watch | Arsenal (WSL)

It’s the third north London derby of the season on Sunday afternoon (kick-off 12:30pm) as we travel to Emirates Stadium to face Arsenal in our first Barclays Women’s Super League game since the international break.

Here’s a closer look at the Gunners…

Form

Following the north London derby defeat at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium back in December, 2023, the Gunners have enjoyed a mixed start since the turn of the year in the WSL. They returned to winning ways with a 2-1 victory over Everton and that was followed by a 2-0 win against Liverpool at Prenton Park, however, they would suffer their third defeat of the season at the hands of West Ham United, with two goals in eight minutes in the second half condemned them to a 2-1 defeat at The Chigwell Construction Stadium. They are currently sat third in the table and three points behind league leaders, Chelsea. The Gunners run in the Adobe Women’s FA Cup came to an end in the fifth round of the competition as Manchester City progressed at their expense, while their title defence of the FA Women’s Continental Tyres League Cup remains on the cards, with a semi-final clash against Aston Villa this month.

Players to watch

The Gunners made two additions in the January transfer window and one of those was United States international, Emily Fox, who has impressed since making the move to London. The defender has made five appearances in all competitions so far, including three in the WSL and was named Player of the Match against Liverpool in just her second league game. England international and defender, Leah Williamson, also made her return from an ACL injury in January although she withdrew from the England squad after a ‘minor’ hamstring issue. They have an abundance of quality in the forward areas, with obvious names of Alessia Russo, where she has scored seven goals in all competitions this season, and fellow England star, Beth Mead, who has registered nine goal involvements (five goals and four assists ) in 18 appearances. However, it will be Sweden international, Stina Blackstenius, to keep an eye on as the 28-year-old is the club’s current leading goalscroer with 10 goals.

Manager – Jonas Eidevall

It will be an all-Swedish encounter on the touchline as Robert Vilahamn faces Jonas Eidevall at Emirates Stadium. Just 23 when he began his coaching journey at Lunds BK, Eidevall led his side to promotion before moving to women's top-flight side FC Rosengard as an assistant manager. In 2013, he took over as Rosengard's head coach and clinched successive Damallsvenskan titles in 2013 and 2014. He returned to men's football in 2016 to join Superettan side Helsingborgs IF as assistant to Sweden legend Henrik Larsson. He returned to FC Rosengard and claimed another title in 2019, also reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League. Arsenal came calling in June, 2021. The Gunners lost just one game in the WSL in Eidevall's first season, but still finished a point behind Chelsea. They finished third last season, won the Conti Cup and reached the semi-finals of the Champions League, where they were beaten by 5-4 on aggregate by VfL Wolfsburg.

Last time we met

It was a day to remember when we last faced Arsenal in the WSL. We welcomed over 19,000 supporters to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the reverse fixture earlier on 16 December, 2023. Following some lovely build-up from the back, Celin Bizet advanced down the right before picking out Martha Thomas just inside the box, who poked the ball into the bottom corner to secure our first-ever win over the Gunners.

How to follow

You can watch Sunday’s game live on BBC Two - remember, kick-off is 12:30pm. You can also follow the game on our women's social channels - Instagram and X - and minute-by-minute text coverage via our Match Centre here on tottenhamhotspur.com. Match highlights and reaction will also be available via SPURSPLAY and tottenhamhotspur.com.