After another meeting courtesy of the Beast from the East, more games were postponed across the nation. This included three of the four Women’s F.A. Cup quarter-finals that were scheduled to be played on Sunday with Arsenal Women’s clash with Charlton Athletic Women being one of those games.
After playing in midweek, the gunners will be happy to have a couple of extra days to recover following their Continental Tyres Cup (League Cup) final victory over Manchester City.
The game at Adams Park saw Arsenal take the front foot and the lead in the first-half before weathering a heavy storm from City in the second-half.
With the competition only formed in 2011, the win also saw Arsenal take a record fifth triumph. It’s not just in the Continental Tyres Cup where Arsenal have been dominant as they look to continue their search for Women’s F.A. Cup number 15.
Now at the quarter-final stage, Arsenal don’t just have the chance to make more history in the Cup but have also drawn a somewhat historic fixture.
Despite the sides not having played each other in just under a decade, the history between the sides looks to be positive for an Arsenal side currently high on confidence.
The sides’ last meeting saw Arsenal run out as 6-2 winners in the first round of a League Cup campaign that would end in a 5-0 win over Doncaster Rovers Belles to lift their 10th League Cup.
Before that, Arsenal met Charlton in the final of this competition at the end of the 2006/07 season where the gunners came out 4-1 winners to help secure their trophy haul that season. They won the quadruple that year, winning the league, UEFA Women’s Cup and both domestic Cups.
Coming into this quarter-finals, such a high scoreline might not be expected but the form of Joe Montemurro’s side is something that puts Arsenal Women in the driving seat.
Since coming into the role as Arsenal Women’s boss in November, Montemurro has guided the gunners to a great run of form. Since losing to WS1 leaders Chelsea in January, Arsenal have gone seven straight games without conceding but that isn’t the only impressive thing in Arsenal’s favour going into this game.
Going forward, Beth Mead has scored four goals in four games (12 goals overall this season) and ex-Bayern Munich striker Vivianne Miedema has returned to the scoresheet after putting Arsenal ahead in last week’s final against Manchester City.
As well as scoring, Miedema and the other Dutch residents in the squad will also have the boost of their recent Algarve Cup victory a couple of weeks ago.
However, despite Arsenal coming into this as favourites, Charlton are also on a great run of form.
The F.A. Women’s Premier League Southern Division side have gone on a nine-game winning streak which begun back in November and was further continued in a 5-1 victory over Cardiff City last weekend.
The south London side will hope they can make it ten wins from ten games as they trek north of the river to face Arsenal at Meadow Park this Sunday afternoon.