Arsenal Women

Preview: Brighton & Hove Albion vs Arsenal Women

Brighton v Arsenal in the League Cup
Brighton v Arsenal in the League Cup

After making it twelve games unbeaten with a victory against Crystal Palace, we travel to Brighton and Hove Albion for the Subway Women’s League Cup quarter-finals for a 7.15pm kick-off at Broadfield Stadium.

Our Gunners were given a bye from the group stage of the League Cup due to our participation in the UWCL group stages. We are the current holders of the trophy having won it in 2023 and 2024, beating Chelsea in the final both times. We have won the League Cup 17 times.

SEAGULLS SOARING

BHAWFC

Brighton currently sit in fifth place in the Women’s Super League and have successfully advanced to the quarter-finals of the League Cup, reflecting their strong form this season.

The Seagulls secured their spot at the top of Group D with an impressive 6-2 victory over Bristol City in their final group-stage match. Across the campaign, they have been prolific in front of goal, scoring an impressive 12 times in the competition.

On home turf, Brighton have proven to be a formidable side, having suffered just two home defeats in all competitions so far this season. The team’s attacking threat has been bolstered by standout performances from Kiko Seike and former Gunner, Nikita Parris, who have each contributed six goal involvements in all competitions. 

WHAT THE MANAGERS SAY

Renee Slegers on Brighton & Hove Albion: “They have a very strong identity. I think they’re very persistent with their style of play and when they do it well they do it really well, so it’s going to put a challenge on us.

“They’ve changed a little bit, not in possession in the way they’ve been playing, but we’ve seen them change what they do out of possession, so in that sense, it’s going to be a little bit different from the other game [against them].”

Dario Vidošić on the game…

"We go in confident, that we believe that we can do it. That’s the most important thing: that you have the belief that you can win”.


TEAM NEWS

AWFC Training

In her pre-match press conference, Renée shared an update on the progress of Victoria Pelova and Amanda Ilestedt: "They are still in a return-to-play phase. They’re joining up with the team which is great.

"Lina [Hurtig] wasn’t in the squad last Sunday. She’s progressing really well, she’s trained in parts with the team, so we’ll see how she reacts after today but she was on the pitch as well."

Renee also confirmed Stina Blackstenius was back in training today. 

FACTS AND STATS

AWFC Celebrating goal
  • Brighton & Hove Albion Women have yet to beat us in any competitions. Our Gunners have won 14 out of 15 encounters, with one match ending in a draw
  • Across our 15 meetings with the Seagulls, we have found the back of the net 52 times
  • Brighton have only scored twice against us, with our team keeping an impressive 12 clean sheets in total
  • Beth Mead has been a standout performer against Brighton, contributing seven goals and five assists over the years
  • No player has scored more goals against former teams than Nikita Parris, with the ex-Gunner netting nine times against her old sides

MATCH OFFICIALS 

Referee: Lisa Benn 
Assistant Referees: Lorraine Catchpole & Ella Broad
Fourth Official: Joanne Horwood

HOW THE TOURNAMENT WORKS

AWFC League cup

The Subway Women’s League Cup's first round split 20 teams from across the country into five groups of four. These sides faced each other once and only the outright winners of each group progressed to the next round. 

We are joined in the quarter-final stage by Manchester City, Manchester United, Durham, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United,  Brighton and last year’s runners-up, Chelsea.

KEY FUTURE DATES

AWFC Huddle

If we overcome Brighton, our squad will host a semi-final against the winners of Manchester City and Manchester United's quarter-final. The final will take place at Pride Park on Saturday, 15 March at 12.15pm.

The location and ticketing information has not yet been released for the 2025 Final, and fans are encouraged to sign up for our email newsletter on our website to find out first.

HOW TO WATCH 

The match kicks off at 7:15pm at Broadfield Stadium and if you haven’t got tickets, you can watch our Gunners in action live on the Barclays WSL YouTube channel.

This fixture is available wherever you are in the world, with the exception of the Middle East and North Africa.