A week later than scheduled, Albion begin their WSL campaign tonight when they travel to Arsenal.
All tickets for the game at Boreham Wood’s Meadow Park have been sold. Kick off is 7.30pm and the match is live on FA Player.
The opposition
Arsenal took the title race down to the final day before losing out to Chelsea, but they took eight points off the so-called top four – Chelsea and the two Manchester clubs – in what was a successful first season for Swedish coach Jonas Eidevall.
This summer they have been less active than a lot of WSL clubs in the transfer market with goalkeeper Kaylan Marckese, from last season’s Champions League group stage opponents HB Koge, and the Sweden striker Lina Hurtig their only signings.
They did, however, manage to keep the prolific forward Vivianne Miedema, despite interest from Barcelona and PSG. The Dutch international is likely to operate in a slightly more withdrawn No.10 role this season.
Player to watch
Beth Mead is in the form of her life after an outstanding Euros when her six goals helped her win the Golden Boot and England the title. Having been left out of GB’s squad for last summer’s Olympics, the 27-year-old bounced back by scoring 11 WSL goals and contributing eight assists last season and establishing herself as a first-choice pick in the England team.
Last season…
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Albion lost both games to the Gunners, although they did take the lead on their last visit to Meadow Park when Emma Koivisto scored before Arsenal responded to claim a 2-1 win. The Gunners also won 3-0 at the Broadfield Stadium in the reverse fixture and knocked Albion out of the 2020/21 FA Cup with a 3-0 win in the semi-finals at Boreham Wood last October.