Arsenal Women travel to Brisbane Road on Saturday afternoon for the first north London derby of the season, looking to extend their recent unbeaten WSL record against Tottenham while managing a mounting injury crisis that’s decimated their squad depth. Out of the 11 fixtures, the two clubs have played, Arsenal Women have won a staggering 11 times, drawing and losing just once.

Predicted Lineups

Arsenal Women (4-3-3): van Domselaar; Fox, Wubben-Moy, Codina, McCabe; Little, Cooney-Cross, Caldentey; Mead, Russo, Foord

Tottenham Women (4-3-3): Kop; Neville, Koga, Hunt, Nildén; Summanen, Spence; Vinberg, Holdt, Naz; Tandberg

Arsenal’s Devastating Injury Crisis

Arsenal’s season has been ravaged by ACL injuries, with Katie Reid becoming the third player to rupture their anterior cruciate ligament. The 19-year-old defender suffered the injury in training last week and will miss the remainder of the 2025-26 campaign. Reid had displaced Lotte Wubben-Moy and Laia Codina in the starting lineup following Leah Williamson’s knee surgery.

Williamson herself remains sidelined after sustaining her injury at Euro 2025, though she’s nearing a return to training. Goalkeeper Manuela Zinsberger is out for the season after tearing her ACL in training before the Benfica Champions League match. Michelle Agyemang ruptured her ACL while on England duty, adding to Arsenal’s unprecedented injury crisis.

Kim Little is a doubt after missing training on Friday with an undisclosed issue. Her absence would rob Arsenal of their captain’s experience in crucial moments.

Tottenham’s Form and Fitness

Tottenham’s last meeting ended in a 4-0 Arsenal victory at the Emirates Stadium, with Beth Mead directly involved in 19 goals in her last 17 WSL starts heading into that fixture.

Tottenham sit fifth in the table after winning 3 games out of their last 5 in the WSL. Their home form at Brisbane Road has been inconsistent, making this the ideal opportunity for Arsenal to continue their dominance in the derby.

The Stakes

Arsenal sit fourth in the WSL table, six points behind leaders Manchester City after eight matches. They drew 1-1 with Chelsea in their last league fixture after having two goals controversially disallowed, leaving them frustrated despite Alessia Russo’s late equalizer.

For Tottenham, victory over their fierce rivals would represent the biggest result in their WSL history and inject confidence into a campaign that’s stalled recently. However, Arsenal’s superior quality and Tottenham’s inability to ever beat them suggests the Gunners remain overwhelming favorites.

Kick-off: 2:30 PM Saturday, November 16th, 2025
Venue: Brisbane Road
TV and Streaming Options: Sky Sports Premier League, Sky Sports Ultra HDR (UK)

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Both of England’s goals in their 2-0 World Cup qualifying victory over Serbia came from Arsenal players, with Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze delivering the cutting edge Thomas Tuchel’s side needed at Wembley Stadium on Thursday evening.

Saka’s Brilliant First-Half Volley

Bukayo Saka opened scoring in the 28th minute with a spectacular volleyed finish after Nico O’Reilly’s blocked shot looped perfectly into his path. The 24-year-old Arsenal winger guided the ball into the bottom-left corner on the volley, demonstrating technique that justified Tuchel’s recent plea for him to score more international goals.

The goal took Saka’s England tally to 14 strikes, continuing his excellent form for club and country this season. His importance to England’s attack was evident throughout a rain-soaked Wembley evening where the Three Lions struggled for fluency against a stubborn Serbian side playing under new manager Veljko Paunovic.

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Eze’s Stoppage-Time Sealer

Eberechi Eze doubled England’s advantage in the 90th minute after being introduced as a second-half substitute. The Arsenal forward initially struck the crossbar via goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic in the 87th minute before finding the far corner with an accomplished finish three minutes later.

Phil Foden, who entered as a false nine alongside Jude Bellingham in Thomas Tuchel’s second-half changes, provided the assist with a perfectly weighted pass that allowed Eze to curl home England’s second. The goal sealed England’s seventh consecutive victory in World Cup qualifying, maintaining their perfect record while eliminating Serbia’s playoff hopes.

Arsenal’s contribution proved decisive on a night when Bellingham and Foden started on the bench, with Morgan Rogers initially preferred at number 10. The victory extends England’s clean sheet streak to 10 consecutive matches under Jordan Pickford, who wasn’t seriously tested by Serbia’s limited attacking threat led by isolated Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic.

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Riccardo Calafiori‘s hip injury is not considered serious by Italy’s medical staff, providing crucial relief for Arsenal ahead of the North London derby against Tottenham on November 23. The defender is managing hip pain but should be available for Arsenal’s first match after the international break.

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Expected to Miss Moldova Clash

Italian reports confirm Calafiori will not feature against Moldova on Thursday despite being named in Gennaro Gattuso’s travelling squad. Italy hope their left-back will recover sufficiently to face Norway in Sunday’s crucial World Cup qualifier, though Arsenal’s priority remains his fitness for the derby.

Gattuso publicly praised Calafiori’s professionalism during the international window. “I have to thank the likes of Barella, Calafiori and Bastoni for being here, as it was by no means to be taken for granted. I congratulate the lads for their professionalism and hunger, which they show every day.”

The 23-year-old has started every Premier League match for Arsenal this season, establishing himself as indispensable to Mikel Arteta‘s system. His 12 appearances across all competitions demonstrate his importance to Arsenal’s strong campaign challenging for the title.

Italy’s World Cup Play-Off Preparations

Italy face a World Cup play-off in March after automatic qualification hopes faded due to Norway’s vastly superior goal difference. Gattuso confirmed significant rotation against Moldova, with Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario replacing Gianluigi Donnarumma.

“I can confirm that there will be many changes, but without any problems or fears,” Gattuso explained. “I have great faith in my players; they all deserve a night like tomorrow’s.”

Arsenal’s medical team will monitor Calafiori closely during Italy’s double-header. His availability for the North London derby represents a major boost given his consistent performances at left-back this season. Arteta cannot afford losing his first-choice defender for such a crucial fixture against Spurs, making Italy’s cautious approach welcome news in North London.

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