West Ham United women's team v Arsenal
Barclays Women's Super League, Chigwell Construction Stadium, Sunday 20 October 2024, 3pm BST
West Ham United women's team welcome Arsenal to Chigwell Construction Stadium in Dagenham for their final Barclays Women's Super League (WSL) fixture before the first international break of the season commences.
After drawing with Liverpool and Everton in their opening four matches, Rehanne Skinner's side will be hoping to cause an upset against one of the biggest clubs in the women's game. The Gunners have had a week of change, however, with manager Jonas Eidevall resigning from his position earlier this week following an indifferent start to the 2024/25 campaign.
West Ham fans will have fond memories of the historic first-ever win over Arsenal back in February, and Skinner will be hoping that a bumper crowd can cheer the team to another positive performance again on Sunday.
Here's everything you need to know ahead of an intriguing contest in east London...
Tickets...
Tickets will be available to purchase online up until one hour before kick-off (2pm BST) on Sunday afternoon. Click HERE to purchase yours now! We would strongly recommend supporters buy their tickets in advance.
Tickets can also be purchased from the Ticket Office (subject to availability) located at Chigwell Construction Stadium up until kick-off on Sunday. The Ticket Office will be open from 1pm.
How To Follow...
The WSL will be more accessible to supporters from across the globe than ever before during 2024/25, with coverage of the league moving from The FA Player to YouTube!
Matches not picked for broadcast will be shown live on the online video sharing platform, which can be viewed worldwide, excluding Canada, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Australia, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama.
Tune in from 2.55pm to watch all of the action from Chigwell Construction Stadium!
Alternatively, you can also follow the action across our social media channels, while highlights and exclusive reaction will follow after the final whistle on whufc.com.
Travel...
The most convenient way to reach Chigwell Construction Stadium is by public transport.
Dagenham East station on the London Underground's District line is situated about 500 metres from the ground. On exiting the station, turn left, and the ground is in Victoria Road, which is the fifth turning on the left-hand side after about 400 metres. You will see the stadium at the end of the cul-de-sac.
For those travelling by bus, fans can take the 103 from either Romford railway station, which is served by Greater Anglia, TfL's Elizabeth line, and London Overground, or Rainham station, which is served by c2c rail services. The 103 has stops on both sides of Rainham Road South, just north of Victoria Road.
Supporters using public transport are advised to check their journeys before they travel, using resources such as TfL’s Journey Planner and the TfL Go app. Supporters may also wish to visit the National Rail website if travelling on the rail network.
No parking is available at Chigwell Construction Stadium. Street parking in the local area is available, but motorists should take note of restrictions.
The Opposition...
It’s all change at Arsenal ahead of this weekend's clash, after Jonas Eidevall resigned from his role as manager on Tuesday. The 41-year-old Swede left the Gunners after just over three years in charge of the club.
Eidevall signed a new three-year contract with the club last October after consecutive top-three finishes in the WSL, while also winning the Women's League Cup in the past two seasons.
However, he had failed to win any of Arsenal's previous three league matches, drawing one and losing two, and also suffered a heavy defeat by Bayern Munich in the UEFA Women's Champions League earlier this month.
Assistant coach Renée Slegers will take charge of the team for the fixture against the Hammers. Slegers is a former footballer who played for Djurgårdens IF and Linköping FC in Sweden before her playing career was cut short due to a serious knee injury. She was also capped 55 times by the Netherlands between 2009 and 2016.
Slegers succeeded Eidevall as head coach of FC Rosengård in 2021, leading them to titles in 2021 and 2022 before making the move to Arsenal to become his assistant coach.
The Gunners finished third in the 2023/24 WSL standings, five points behind champions Chelsea, as Eidevall’s team lost just four matches across the campaign.
One of those defeats came at Chigwell Construction Stadium in February, when Viviane Asseyi and Hawa Cissoko scored goals to inflict a 2-1 defeat in east London.
Arsenal did clinch the Women’s League Cup trophy last term, but early exists in both the Adobe Women’s FA Cup and the UEFA Women’s Champions League means there is pressure on the team to improve their recent form.
Previous Meetings...
The Hammers have found things tough going against the Gunners since they joined the WSL, but that has started to turn in recent seasons.
In February 2023, Paul Konchesky's side secured a 0-0 draw against Arsenal, the first time West Ham had taken points from a league game against them.
Fast forward a year, and the Irons were celebrating their first three points against Arsenal in front of a record crowd at Chigwell Construction Stadium.
Watch highlights from the historic 2-1 win against the Gunners by clicking on the video player above!
