The 27-year-old midfielder spent her formative years with the Gunners and believes they continue to set the standard in the women’s game.
But Albion will go into the game at The People’s Pension Stadium boosted by last week’s win over Liverpool and a Continental Cup victory on penalties against the Gunners earlier in the season, following a goalless draw.
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She said, “We proved that we can compete against them when we beat them on penalties in the Continental Cup and I think we’re going to give them a good game. We’re looking forward to the challenge.
“I feel we’re really together as a team at the moment. Getting the win over Liverpool last week has given us a massive confidence boost, as we’ve had some great training sessions and the mood in the camp is really good.”
Natkiel was part of the Arsenal set-up from the age of ten and admires the consistency they have maintained at the top of the women’s game over recent years. But she feels that clubs like Albion are bridging the gap.
She added, “I had eight years there and I’m grateful for the time I had, but I have moved on. They have always been one of the leading women’s teams in the country with a great set-up from youth all the way to the top. They are still leading the way, but other clubs have improved as well.
“We’re closing in on them, and the whole league is closing up. There was always a massive gap between teams like Arsenal and the rest but it’s much more competitive now. It will make the standard higher, which is exciting.”
Arsenal boast the FAWSL’s leading scorer in Netherlands international Vivianne Miedema, who will be looking to add to her 14 goals on Sunday, six of which came in one game against Bristol City last month, and eight assists.
“There is a massive hype behind her, and we know she is a good player so we’ll try and counter-act that,” said Natkiel. “It’s good to test yourself against players of that standard. It’s good to have players like that coming to the WSL because it shows how much the league is progressing.”