Since this article was published, this game has been called off due to a coronavirus outbreak. A new date for the game will be confirmed in due course.
Women's Super League leaders Arsenal Women are looking to continue their unbeaten start to this season when they host Brighton & Hove Albion Women at Borehamwood on Sunday.
The Seagulls dropped out of third place last weekend as they tasted defeat and Tottenham Hotspur collected three points, but they will want to make sure that the current two-point gap to third place does not extend this weekend.
Match preview
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Arsenal capitalised on Chelsea's defeat against Reading on Saturday by comfortably beating Leicester 4-0 the following day, opening up a four-point gap between themselves and the reigning champions.
Jordan Nobbs, Vivianne Miedema and a brace from Frida Maanum secured that victory, and a clean sheet means that the Gunners also continue to have the best defensive record in the league, only conceding three goals this campaign.
Their defence was in not such good form last time out, though, as Hoffenheim defeated Arsenal 4-1 in the final group game in the Champions League, but the Gunners progressed into the knockout rounds, finishing second in Group C.
That result means that Arsenal are the only remaining English side in the Champions League this season, but it was also Jonas Eidevall's side's third loss in four games, their worst run of form in a long time.
Arsenal need to ensure that they punish Chelsea for the couple of defeats they have suffered this season, and the Gunners have a good opportunity to cement their place in top spot heading into the WSL's winter break.
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Brighton have lost four consecutive matches in all competitions, and that form is worrying for Hope Powell if she is going to keep her side in the hunt for a Champions League place next year.
Not only have the Seagulls lost those four matches, but they have not managed to score a goal in that time either, which continued on Wednesday in the League Cup against West Ham United.
Powell's side are now out of that competition after a 3-0 defeat against the Hammers in their final group game, and they need to get back to winning ways before their good start to the season is undone in a matter of weeks.
Last Sunday, Manchester United visited Crawley where they faced Brighton, and the home side fell to a 2-0 defeat courtesy of goals from Hayley Ladd and Vilde Boe Risa.
Arsenal are strong favourites for this encounter given their unbeaten record so far, but Brighton will view Sunday as a good opportunity to take points away from the Gunners, taking advantage of their three defeats in four games recently.
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Team News
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Arsenal seem to have struggled without Leah Williamson in the heart of defence but they will need to find a way without her as she continues to be sidelined with injury.
Miedema got on the scoresheet once last weekend against Leicester but she really should have had a few more with the chances she had, so the 25-year-old will be aiming to add to her seven WSL goals on Sunday.
The Gunners' midfield of Lia Walti, Nobbs and Mana Iwabuchi is expected to remain the same from the Leicester game, after Eidevall changed his lineup slightly for the Champions League outing, bringing in Kim Little and Maanum from the start.
Danielle Carter did not feature in the matchday squad for Brighton's cup game on Wednesday and only came off the bench against Man United, but the striker will be keen to play from the start on Sunday against her former club.
Brighton will continue in their 5-3-2 formation, and the same defensive line of Emma Koivisto, Maya Le Tissier, Danique Kerkdijk, Victoria Williams and Felicity Gibbons are certain to remain on the team sheet.
Arsenal Women possible starting lineup:
Williams; Catley, Wubben-Moy, Beattie, Boye; Walti, Nobbs, Iwabuchi; Parris, Miedema, Mead
Brighton & Hove Albion Women possible starting lineup:
Walsh; Koivisto, Le Tissier, Kerkdijk, Williams, Gibbons; Whelan, Connolly, Bowman; Carter, Lee
We say: Arsenal Women 2-2 Brighton & Hove Albion Women
It has been a tough month for Arsenal, and Brighton are likely to prove to be a tougher test than Leicester were last week which is why the Seagulls should fancy themselves for a point on Sunday.
The Gunners need to be careful not to become complacent with their league position and gap between themselves and Chelsea, while Brighton will be desperate to put another point on the board before the winter break.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Arsenal Women win with a probability of 85.27%. A draw had a probability of 10.3% and a win for Brighton & Hove Albion Women had a probability of 4.4%.
The most likely scoreline for an Arsenal Women win was 2-0 with a probability of 12.97%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 3-0 (12.8%) and 4-0 (9.47%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (4.91%), while for a Brighton & Hove Albion Women win it was 0-1 (1.66%). The actual scoreline of 2-1 was predicted with a 7.3% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Arsenal Women would win this match.
