Emirates Stadium is back in action in the Women's Super League as Arsenal host Birmingham City after the international break with both sides looking to start on the stronger foot.

Arsenal are looking to improve on their record from the Women's Super League this season with just one win in their opening five games and leaves the Gunners sitting in 10th in the league.

Renée Slegers will look to show that she has improved in the break from club football and get the club back to winning ways to leapfrog back up to the top half of the table.

Birmingham City look to earn their first win of the season in the Women's Super League against the Gunners, after losing three and drawing twice in their opening five games of the English top flight.

Amy Merrick's side will look to break down the Gunners like other clubs have done this season and potentially walk away with a point — or even three if the Blues tactics overwork Slegers' team.

Arsenal won the last time they faced Birmingham City back in March 2022 with a 3-0 scoreline and the Gunners also hold the head-to-head record over the Blues but there is room for an upset.

Both teams are in need of a win in match week six to start again in the league after the international break as they both reside in the bottom half of the table. A win for either team would be a big boost for their upcoming fixtures and would also boost team morale.

Team News

Arsenal

Mariona Caldentey is out for about 8-10 weeks for the Gunners after she sustained a hamstring injury in the game against Manchester City before the international break.

Selina Cerci had a knee operation and will be out 'for a while'.

Olivia Smith was dealing with some issues but is now 'pain free'.

Chloe Kelly remains unavailable.

Daphne van Domselaar and Katie Reid are back in training however not available for the match day squad.

Birmingham City

Everyone is available and in a 'good place, ready to go' for Birmingham.

Possible Line Ups

Arsenal

Misa, Fox, Williamson, Catley, Batlle, Cooney-Cross, Stanway, Little, Baum, Smith, Russo

Birmingham City

Baggaley, McKenna, Herron, Turner, Levasseur, Naalsund, Miyagawa, Hurtré, Lee, Crosswaite, Effa

Key Players

Arsenal -- Alessia Russo

Alessia Russo is one of Arsenal's most important players. She can play in both the 9 and the 10, which she interchanges depending on who she is with on the pitch. However most of the time Russo is the primary number 9 for Arsenal.

She had a slow start to the season, with no goals or assists in any of her first five games in all competitions until she scored her first against Paris FC, which seemed to set the ball rolling for the English striker.

Russo scored against Manchester City for Arsenal and then continued her goal scoring form on international break while she was away with England, netting three goals for her country in the qualification stage against Greece which leaves Russo with five goals in her last four games.

It is imperative to Arsenal that Russo found her shooting boots because Arsenal were looking dire with their goal scorers in the Women's Super League, with their only league goals coming from Lisa Baum and Smilla Holmberg before Russo found her shooting boots at the end of September.

Russo will look to score against Birmingham and continue her streak of goals and help Arsenal secure a second Women's Super League victory.

Birmingham City -- Océane Hurtré

Océane Hurtré is Birmingham City's key player to watch out for and one the Arsenal back line will be scrambling to stop if she gets the ball close to their net.

Hurtré is currently one of the league's top scorers alongside Khadija 'Bunny' Shaw and Victoria Pelova where they all sit with five goals to themselves.

Hurtré's only task will be to get around the strong Arsenal back line and cause problems for them in an attempt to gain points and win the game for the Blues.

Hurtré also scored over the international break for France against Latvia where she also made her debut for the senior national team. Birmingham City will hope that gives her a boost to play against one of the most formidable English sides.

Match Details

Where is the game being played?

The game is being held at Emirates Stadium in North London, with a capacity of over 60,000.

What time is the game on?

Kick off for the game is at 12:45 GMT on Saturday 17 October, 2026.

Where can I watch the game?

The game is available to watch in the UK on Sky Sports Mix or Sky Sports Premier League and highlights will be available on YouTube after the game.