By Ava Elliott (10/10/25)
Above: The last time Arsenal faced Brighton. Photo: BHAFC Women.
After midweek fixtures, Arsenal and Brighton and Hove Albion return to WSL action for week six of the season this Sunday at the Emirates.
After a disappointing loss in the UWCL on Tuesday night, there’s a lot of pressure falling on Arsenal to deliver a result. They’re now winless in four, three of those being losses in the league and expanding the gap between the top of the table.
The additional loss to Lyon in the week was a big hit. Whilst just one fixture of six in the competition’s league phase, the team’s recent form overall has been shaky and far from expectation. If they wish to turn their season around, a huge shift is required across the board, as they simply cannot afford to drop more points.
Their opponents this week are unpredictable. Brighton often change their shape and structure, a fact known after last season when they defeated Arsenal 4-2 on the closing day. They also tend to operate in an intense high press, which was something that the Gunners particularly struggled to deal with against Lyon. Arsenal boss Renée Slegers acknowledged the task:
“It’s going to be a good opposition. I have a lot of respect on what Dario is doing with Brighton. We’re prepared for different scenarios at this game because they can come out with different things like last year, their setups were different in the home and away games.”
Ahead of this weekend’s challenge, the entire squad is still fit barring Leah Williamson. Slegers confirmed the defender is progressing well in her rehab, however her absence to the side as a player that had masses of composure when under pressure is becoming more and more noticeable. Speaking on how they are managing without her, Slegers said:
“Every individual brings certain qualities and the centre-backs that have now played in the position where Leah played most of the time last year bring other qualities, so we will always look at what other qualities this player brings, what do we want them to do on the pitch.”
With big fixtures coming, including Chelsea in just under a month, it’s crucial that Arsenal find their form. The title race in the WSL is already taking shape, with Manchester United and Manchester City now starting to find their feet.
Despite a few difficult results, Brighton sit just one place behind Arsenal in the table, and a win this weekend would see them leapfrog their opponents to push them down another spot.
The Seagulls’ form, much like Arsenals, is wavering. They had a relatively successful start to the season, but lost 2-1 to West Ham midweek in the League Cup, and lost their last WSL fixture 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur. Manager Dario Vidošić reflected on his side’s loss to West Ham:
“Overall I thought the performance was quite good. There was patches where we lost it a little bit, and I think maybe the goal, sort of missing a big chance and then conceding very quickly, that maybe upset our rhythm a little bit.”
Ahead of this clash with Arsenal, Brighton are a slightly depleted side. The team haven’t had much opportunity to train, with a lot of recovery in the mix and the weekend rapidly approaching. Still, Vidošić has an optimistic outlook, both he and his side approach the match with a level-head and quiet confidence:
“Every game is an opportunity to learn, each training session to know what we need to improve, how we need to match up to the next opponent. We know Arsenal possess a lot of strengths, also when they play at the Emirates.”
“They’re also on a run of results that, again, I don’t think they’ve been fair, some of them i think they’ve been unlucky, but regardless of how it’s going they’ll always want to win at home.”
Despite any preparations, it does not omit the fact that they head into this game with two ineligible players, Arsenal loanees Michelle Agyemang and Rosa Kafaji. The duo have been instrumental in Brighton’s campaign so far, and the loss of the duo in such a big fixture could be a spot of weakness if the team cannot successfully adapt and find an alternative.
Arsenal vs Brighton kicks off at 14:30 UK time and will be broadcast on BBC iPlayer/ BBC Two.
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