Preview: Arsenal Women vs Leicester City Women - prediction, team news, lineups

Before they attempt to complete the Champions League semi-final job, Arsenal Women host Leicester City Women in Wednesday's Women's Super League mismatch.

Renee Slegers's side have won each of their last five matches in the top flight, while their ailing foes are on a miserable eight-match losing sequence.

Match preview

Still going strong in the defence of their continental title, Arsenal will cross the Channel next week boasting a slender 2-1 lead in their Champions League semi-final showdown with Lyon, who were their own worst enemies at the Emirates.

Jule Brand's powerful strike propelled the French side into the lead, but two goalkeeping and defensive calamities at the back allowed Slegers's side to turn the tide, as an Ingrid Syrstad Engen own goal preceded an Olivia Smith winner.

Several members of Slegers's squad will likely already have one eye on the mouth-watering return fixture this Saturday, but the Gunners are also still chasing domestic success in the WSL title race, sitting 11 points below leaders Manchester City in the WSL table with three games in hand.

Second-placed Chelsea and third-placed Manchester United have also played three more matches than Arsenal, who will leapfrog the latter with a sixth straight WSL win on Wednesday, having bested Chelsea, Man City, London City Lionesses, West Ham United and most recently Tottenham Hotspur.

One of only two teams still unbeaten at home in the 2025-26 WSL - the other being Man City - Arsenal boast the best defensive record on their own patch with just six goals conceded - another unsightly statistic for their lowly foes.

Arsenal's men's and women's teams could both be celebrating a league and Champions League double come May, whereas both Leicester outfits could be bemoaning their respective relegations.

Indeed, the visitors' five-year stay in the Women's Super League is at serious risk, and they will be condemned to a bottom-placed finish if they lose on Wednesday, given they are seven points behind West Ham with three games remaining.

However, with the WSL expanding from 12 to 14 teams for 2026-27, Leicester's stay in the top tier is not guaranteed to end, as Rick Passmoor's side would face the third-placed Women's Super League 2 team in a promotion/relegation playoff for the right to remain in the first tier.

Leicester fans may not be optimistic about their side's chances of prevailing in such a fixture, though, as the visitors are on an abysmal eight-game losing run in the WSL following Sunday's 5-1 thrashing against London City Lionesses.

That hammering left Leicester still chasing their first win on the road this season, and November's reverse fixture with Arsenal ended in a comprehensive 4-1 defeat, with Stina Blackstenius at the double.

Arsenal Women Women's Super League form:

Arsenal Women form (all competitions):

Leicester City Women Women's Super League form:

Team News

It should be as you were in terms of Arsenal's availability, although it remains to be seen whether attacker Beth Mead might return from the personal issue that kept her out of the Lyon first leg.

Kyra Cooney-Cross remains in Australia following her mother's heart-breaking cancer diagnosis, while Steph Catley (calf) is set to miss out too.

Given the tight turnaround, the likes of Frida Maanum and Taylor Hinds could benefit from some expected rotation, but Chloe Kelly - omitted entirely from the squad at the weekend - might not be in the same bracket.

Meanwhile, Leicester were struck down with a sickness bug before their defeat to London City, but all of Rosella Ayane, Emma Jansson and Hannah Cain recovered in time to make the squad.

Alisha Lehmann was also fit enough to come off the bench, but Janina Leitzig (hand), Emily van Egmond (finger) and Jutta Rantala (knee) are out of contention.

Arsenal Women possible starting lineup:

Van Domselaar; Holmberg, Wubben-Moy, Codina, Hinds; Pelova, Little, Maanum; Smith, Russo, Foord

Leicester City Women possible starting lineup:

Clark; Thibaud, Kees, Swaby; Mayling, McLoughlin, Tierney, Jansson, Neville; O'Brien, Williams

We say: Arsenal Women 4-0 Leicester City Women

Even with eyes on Lyon and a few rotations, Arsenal should have no problem swatting aside an out-of-sorts Leicester outfit in midweek, as Slegers's side warm up for the second leg in perfect fashion.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.