Arsenal welcome Manchester United to the Emirates Stadium on Saturday evening with both sides looking for improvement after frustrating results last weekend.
Renée Slegers’ side remain unbeaten after taking four points from their opening two Women’s Super League matches, but a 0-0 draw against Crystal Palace exposed a familiar problem: turning attacking dominance into goals.
Manchester United arrive in North London under considerably more pressure. Eva Olid’s side have lost their opening two WSL matches and are looking for a response after a heavy 5-0 home defeat against Chelsea.
Match information
- Fixture: Arsenal vs Manchester United
- Competition: Women’s Super League
- Date: Saturday, 19 September 2026
- Kick-off: 5:30pm UK
- Venue: Emirates Stadium
How to watch Arsenal vs Manchester United
Arsenal vs Manchester United will be shown live on Sky Sports Football in the United Kingdom. Both clubs will also provide match updates through their official websites, apps and social media channels.
Watching from outside the UK? Try the WSL YouTube, W Sport or read our article on where to watch the WSL.
Arsenal need to turn dominance into goals
Arsenal started their season with a 1-0 victory away at Brighton, with summer signing Lisa Baum scoring the winner, before returning to the Emirates to face Crystal Palace. The result against Palace was far less satisfying.
Arsenal dominated almost the entire match, recording 30 shots and spending long periods camped around the Palace penalty area, but could not find a way past Pauline Peyraud-Magnin and a determined Palace defence.
It leaves Arsenal with four points and two clean sheets from their opening two matches, but only one goal scored.
Slegers has acknowledged that Arsenal need to create clearer opportunities when facing teams defending deep. Manchester United may present a different challenge, but Arsenal will still need to be more clinical than they were last weekend.
Manchester United searching for their first points
United’s start has been much more difficult. They opened the campaign with a 2-1 defeat against London City Lionesses before Chelsea produced a dominant performance in Manchester last weekend.
Manchester United were beaten 5-0, with Chelsea controlling the match and repeatedly finding ways through Olid’s side.
Two defeats do not define a season, particularly under a new head coach, but the trip to the Emirates leaves United facing the possibility of beginning the campaign with three consecutive losses.
Olid has urged patience with the process as United adjust under her management. A more competitive performance against Arsenal would therefore be important, regardless of the difficulty of the fixture.
Arsenal vs Manchester United team news
Arsenal could receive a boost with Géraldine Reuteler and Selina Cerci in contention for the squad. Both have been building towards full fitness following disrupted pre-seasons and have trained during the week.
However, Élisa De Almeida will miss the game.
Michelle Agyemang, Katie Reid and Daphne van Domselaar also remain unavailable. Van Domselaar continues her recovery following a knee procedure, with Arsenal hoping she can return during October.
Manchester United head coach Eva Olid confirmed on Friday that there had been no significant change to her injury situation.
Jayde Riviere remains unavailable with a calf injury, while Emma Watson is also still sidelined.
Fridolina Rolfö is unavailable following her pregnancy announcement, while Celin Bizet Dønnum has returned to the training ground after giving birth but is still working towards a return to action.
Andrea Medina was forced off following a collision against Chelsea, but Manchester United have not confirmed that she will miss Saturday’s match.
Predicted line-ups
Based on the opening two WSL matches and the latest availability updates, this is how the two sides could line up at the Emirates.
Arsenal predicted XI:
Misa; Fox, Williamson, Wubben-Moy, Batlle; Cooney-Cross, Stanway; Kelly, Mariona, Baum; Russo.
Manchester United predicted XI:
Leitzig; Sandberg, Turner, Le Tissier, George; Naalsund, Bernal; Park, Toone, Jusu Bah; Terland.
What to expect
The contrast between the two teams’ problems makes this an interesting match. Arsenal are controlling games and creating opportunities but need to become more ruthless. United, meanwhile, need greater control and attacking threat after a difficult opening fortnight.
There is also recent history suggesting this may not be straightforward for Arsenal. Both WSL meetings between the clubs last season finished goalless.
However, Arsenal’s performance against Palace was better than the scoreline suggests. If they create a similar volume of opportunities on Saturday, United will have to defend significantly better than they did against Chelsea.
For United, staying compact early could be crucial. Conceding first would allow Arsenal to control the match rather than repeatedly attack a crowded penalty area.
Prediction
Arsenal 2-2 Manchester United
United should be desperate to produce a response after last weekend, but Arsenal have conceded no goals in their opening two matches and are creating plenty at the other end. If Slegers’ side can improve their finishing, they should have enough to secure their second victory of the season.
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