Preview Arsenal & Brighton in WOSO

By Anonymous (not verified), April 5, 2026
From Arsenal.com
Pre-Match Report

Preview: Arsenal Women v Brighton

Preview graphic for our Women's FA Cup tie against Brighton

We face Brighton & Hove Albion at Mangata Developments Stadium in the quarter-finals of the Adobe Women's FA Cup on Sunday afternoon (1pm UK), looking to reach our second semi-final in the space of a week. 

A 3-2 aggregate win over Chelsea ensured we'll compete in the last four of the UEFA Women's Champions League for the second season running, and now our attention turns to reaching the same stage of the FA Cup. 

We'll be at Meadow Park for the third time in as many ties in this season's competition, having beaten Aston Villa and Bristol City at home to reach the last eight. 

Seagulls set sights on wembley


Brighton celebrate scoring in their FA Cup victory over Nottingham Forest


Brighton enjoyed an impressive start to the Women's Super League season, and at the start of December were within reach of the Champions League places. 

But since returning from the winter break, the Seagulls have won just two of their seven league games, losing four, including one in which they held a 2-0 lead over West Ham heading into the final 10 minutes, only to lose 3-2 at the Chigwell Construction Stadium. 

While a drop in form has ruled the South Coast side out of European contention, Dario Vidosic's side still sit firmly in the top half of the WSL table, ahead of London City on goal difference with a game in hand, such was the quality of their start to the season. 

Even though Brighton's league form has declined in the second half of the season, they have made no mistake in their FA Cup campaign, beating WSL2 side Nottingham Forest and WSL rivals West Ham to reach the quarter-finals. 

To continue their cup run however, the Seagulls will have to do something they've never managed in their history and eliminate us from a domestic cup competition. 

But with both relegation and European qualification out of the equation in the WSL, the Seagulls will throw everything they've got at trying to reach their first Wembley final. 

last time out

10:06

Highlights: Arsenal Women 1-0 Brighton

While we should have faced Brighton in February at Broadfield Stadium, the game was called off due to a waterlogged pitch. 

As a result, Sunday's quarter-final will be our first meeting with Albion since a 1-0 win at Emirates Stadium in October courtesy of an own goal created by Olivia Smith. 

what the managers say


Renee pre Brighton


Slegers: "They possess the ball really well, they're brave in their game, they work with rotations, so I think they look to dominate games with the ball. 

"We have a squad that is well prepared, everyone is ready to go. They always do something different, so we know how they play, but we've also seen that they have specific plans for specific games, so we're also expecting something that we might not know about. 


Vidosic


Vidosic: "We always talk about that - trying to be the first team to make that history for the club and bring the first piece of silverware. 

"Arsenal is always a tricky one because they can keep the ball, but they can also hit you very, very quickly. If you do concede, that can very quickly turn into two or three, as we saw in the North London derby at the weekend. We’ve learned from that." 

team news


Steph Catley and Leah Williamson in action at Meadow Park


Leah Williamson won't be back this side of the international break, but will hope to be back in the squad for our UEFA Women's Champions League semi-final against Lyon at the end of the month. 

Steph Catley will also miss Sunday's quarter-final after going off with a calf strain at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night. 

facts and stats


Kim Little after scoring


We're looking to win a record-extending 15th FA Cup title; no men's or women's club has won more than the 14 held by both our men's and women's teams. 

Our last victorious FA Cup campaign was in 2016; the ten-year gap since we last won the competition is our longest since we secured our first title in 1993.  

We'll be aiming to reach the quarter-finals of the FA Cup for the first time since our run to the semi-finals in 2022; Brighton made the last four more recently when they reached the 2023 semi-finals. 

Brighton have never eliminated us from a domestic cup competition, but the Seagulls did beat us 4-2 on penalties in the group stages of the 2019 League Cup. 

Last season's 4-2 win over us at Broadfield Stadium remains Brighton's only win over us in 90 minutes in their history and came at the 17th attempt.

Alessia Russo scored Brighton's first-ever goal at top flight level, netting the opening goal in their first Spring Series game against London Bees in February 2017. 

match officials


Abigail Byrne shows Jayde Riviere a red card at Emirates Stadium


Referee: Abigail Byrne
Assistant Referees: Ceri Williams & Lorraine Catchpole
Fourth Official: Emily Heaslip

how to watch


Supporters get behind the team with scarves and foil FA Cups at Meadow Park


Supporters in the UK can catch the action live on TNT Sports and HBO Max, or listen to live audio commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live. 

Live coverage will also be available through a series of international broadcasters for those tuning in from elsewhere: 

Arsenal Women v Brighton Women
Form (all comps)
Arsenal Women
w
w
w
w
L
Brighton Women
L
W
L
D
W
Women’s Super League League Women’s Super League
3rd League position 6th
55 goals 24
2.24 Average goals per match 1.0
0.71 Average goals conceded per match 1.6
2.06 XG per 90 1.1
47% Clean sheet 33%
Head to Head
16 Wins 1
1 Draws 1
1 Lost 16
59 Goals 6

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