Arsenal host Everton at Emirates Stadium at 7pm on Wednesday knowing their last home game of the season could decide how quickly they return to the Champions League. Renee Slegers' side need four points from their final two league matches, at home to Everton and away to Liverpool on Saturday, to guarantee second place and go straight into next season's group phase.
The timing gives the match extra weight after Arsenal won 3-0 at Villa Park at the weekend and after a string of squad announcements that have framed the end of the campaign. The departures of Manu Zinsberger and Naomi Williams were confirmed last week, and this week Laia Codina, Victoria Pelova and Beth Mead were also announced as leaving. Mead is set to join Manchester City this summer, adding another layer of change to a team still trying to finish with its best possible league position.
Slegers has had to manage a season that has felt crowded and demanding, with rearranged matches against Aston Villa, Leicester and Brighton added or moved for competition reasons. Even so, she has found reasons for encouragement in the way the league has unfolded. Speaking about the WSL more broadly, she said the technical level has been high, with teams showing versatility and adapting in interesting ways, something she described as both fun and challenging as a coach.
Arsenal will also take the field with familiar faces returning and others still unavailable. Leah Williamson is back after missing the games at Brighton and Villa, while Katie McCabe returns after sitting out the Aston Villa match because of a family matter. Steph Catley is not quite ready after a calf injury, although she could be available for the Liverpool game on Saturday. Manu Zinsberger, Katie Reid and Michelle Agyemang remain out with ACL injuries, and Kyra Cooney-Cross is on compassionate leave.
The home crowd will again matter. Slegers has said the support at Emirates Stadium is the best part of the occasion, pointing to the songs and the connection fans have built with the players, while also singling out the away support at Villa Park this weekend as incredible. That backing now meets a practical target: Arsenal have two final games to secure the points that would guarantee second place and the direct route into the Champions League group stage.
There is one more piece of the backdrop to this run-in. The club says Arsenal Women will play all 26/27 WSL home games at Emirates Stadium, a sign that the team’s profile at the ground is set to continue even as the current season closes. For now, though, Wednesday is about the result in front of them. Arsenal know exactly what is at stake, and they have two chances left to make sure it does not come down to anything else.
