The Assist: Erin Cuthbert exclusive, Chelsea vs. Arsenal, UWCL, and more

As we look ahead to the big WSL clash between Chelsea and Arsenal this weekend, The Assist is back with an exclusive interview with Blues star Erin Cuthbert, brought to you by our friends at GirlsOnTheBall, plus we detail some massive games coming up in the Champions League across the next month.

True rivalries are relatively young in women’s football. More often than not they are inherited from their male counterparts, forced onto the women’s game as a marketing ploy without the necessary history to back them up. 

Nothing could be further from the case, however, when it comes to the derbies between Arsenal and Chelsea. When these two meet, fireworks tend to follow.

Saturday’s game at the Emirates will be no different and the stakes could not be higher. For while this derby is the epitome of a true rivalry for what it brings on the pitch, Chelsea undoubtedly have the bragging rights. In 21 meetings, the current champions have come out on top 12 times and one must go back to December 2023 for Arsenal’s last win in the league. In addition, Sonia Bompastor’s side are currently unbeaten at the top of the Barclays WSL and know that Arsenal must win to keep their title hopes alive. 

At the heart of it once more will be the effervescent Erin Cuthbert whose experience of this rivalry goes well into the double figures.

“It’s no surprise that I love these types of games,” she says with a smile. “I love the atmosphere. I love rivalry in football and I think that should never go away. I think Chelsea-Arsenal is huge, especially in the women’s game, and it’s something that players relish. But the other part of me, the more rational part, is telling me it is just another three points. You can’t overthink it. Don’t make it bigger than what it is.”

“[My favourite] was the FA Cup Final at Wembley in the December [2021],” she remembers. “I played right-back and I think it was me against Caitlin Foord on the wing. I had such fun. It was bodies on the line. I think me and Millie [Bright] slide-tackled each other at one point to get the ball out of play.”

The no-nonsense, straight-talking Scot is a core member of Bompastor’s team. Now in her ninth season at the club, she has transitioned from a youngster to one of the more experienced players and from a forward into one of the best central midfielders in the league. 

“Did I think a young girl from Scotland would survive eight/nine years at such a big club playing pretty consistently? Probably not,” she reflects. “But I’ve grown with that role. I’m a player who loves the competition. That’s what I enjoy most in training - how much everybody wants to win; how much it matters when you lose a small-sided game. I lost today and I was off in a terrible mood for half an hour before I recovered and said well done to my teammates. It’s because it matters and if it matters every day, then it’s going to matter on a weekend.”

The 27-year-old has been key to Chelsea’s impressive start once again. An energetic, box-to-box midfielder, she has played an integral role alongside Keira Walsh, a partnership that has been developing ever since the latter joined the club in January. 

“We are building a connection,” she says. “I think we’re two very different central midfielders but we do complement each other. She’s trying to give me a bit of the calm and I’m trying to give her a bit of the intensity.”

Cuthbert’s desire to be front-footed and involved in the attack has been on show. She sits third highest in expected assists (1.9), chances created (13) and key passes (13) this season. 

“Over the last couple of games, I’ve maybe seen myself in higher areas, trying to be more involved in attacks and linking the midfield to the front line,” she says. “It’s always about balance as a central midfielder.”

She will have to be at her balancing best once again against Arsenal on Saturday. For despite the Gunners’ inconsistent start to the season, Cuthbert is well aware of the multiple threats Renée Slegers’ team can present. 

“They still have quality all over the pitch,” she states. “I’ve watched a lot of their games this season. I think [Alessia] Russo is in good form. Obviously, Mariona [Caldentey] can unlock a defence at the snap of a finger.”

“I think they’re going to be a really aggressive team at home”, she continues. “We’re going to have to be ready for a bit of an onslaught early on and be switched on because a team like Arsenal can punish you. I think we have given up too many chances this season and they punish you for those chances so we need to be really structured with a calm head.”

“Most of all, it will be trying to give my experiences of playing at the Emirates because it is a really tough place to go,” she continues. “You can’t hear each other speak. You can’t give information or tactics or communicate. A lot of it has got to come off feeling which is very different and maybe what we’re not used to.”

As mentioned, this weekend’s round of WSL action starts with the huge matchup between Arsenal and Chelsea at the Emirates.

The Gunners came closest to ending Chelsea’s run of league titles last season but still finished a distant second by 12 points in the final table. At present, they trail their London rivals by five having endured a three-game winless run before recovering to beat Brighton and Leicester over the last few weeks. The fact that they currently sit below Martin Ho’s Tottenham Hotspur will not be lost on Arsenal fans.

For their part, the champions remain unbeaten, and their performances have steadily improved across the season, with England’s No. 1 Hannah Hampton keeping a clean sheet in each of her last three.

Sam Kerr, who is still building up her game time having returned from long term injury, was on the scoresheet in their last game - a 2-0 win over London City Lionesses - and that might be a concern for the rest of the league. A fit and firing Kerr regularly coming off the bench would be enough to worry any defence, let alone when the time comes for the Australian to play from the start.

Ahead of the next international break, Round 9 of the WSL season will also be worth looking out for. That starts with a Manchester Derby that is particularly hard to predict - City are in fine form in 2025/26 but United are just a point behind them, and like Chelsea, are yet to lose in the league.

We should also find out just how good Spurs are this season, with the North London Derby closing that particular round. All five of Spurs’ wins so far have come against sides in the bottom half of the 12-team table.

There’s two important matchdays coming up in the new look Champions League format this month.

So far, five teams have two wins from two in the league phase, including debutants Manchester United, but that form will be sorely tested in back-to-back game weeks.

For United, the double matchday sees them host PSG at Old Trafford, then travel to Germany where they face two-time winners Wolfsburg - another of those sides who’ve won both their games so far.

Defending champions Arsenal also come up against German opposition, with a trip to Bayern Munich in Matchday 3 before an unbeaten Real Madrid side visit London for Matchday 4.

Perhaps the biggest game of the month, though, comes as Spain’s immovable object (Barcelona) meets England’s unstoppable force (Chelsea), also in Matchday 4.

Chelsea play host to this one, and it’s safe to say there’s some history between the two sides on the European stage. Since Barcelona crushed the Blues in the 2021 final, the two have also met at the semifinal stage in each of the last three seasons.

Last year, Barca ran out 4-1 winners in both the home and away leg, which abruptly ended Sonia Bompastor’s dream of adding a fourth trophy to Chelsea's domestic treble.

Something astounding happened in the top flight of women’s football in Spain last weekend. Not only were six-time champions Barcelona beaten by Real Sociedad, conceding just their second goal of the season in the process, Barca were stopped from scoring in a league game for the first time since January 2000.

Barcelona still top the table, naturally, but the rest of the league now have a blueprint to follow on how to beat them. We’ve already mentioned the big European game that the Blaugrana have coming up in November, but they do also have a vital clash against Real Madrid, the side currently sat second, and currently four points behind them.

The Liga F Clásico is due to be played on Saturday 15 November, five days before the game against Chelsea.

With the league phase of the Champions League heating up over the next few weeks, we wanted to point out a handy little feature that may prove useful when multiple games are taking place at the same time.

As seen in the example above, taken from the midweek games in the Frauen Bundesliga, you can adjust the table view in the app to show you live scores. This helps you see how your rivals are getting on and keeps you in the loop on your team’s live table position.

Simply head to the Table tab in a match, or league page, and switch the view by clicking Short.

Looking further ahead this month, we thought we’d highlight a few key games:

15 Nov: The Manchester Derby kicks off Round 9 in the WSL and with City and United currently second and third in the table, it should be a good one.

16 Nov: On the following day, it’s time for the North London Derby. Will Spurs still be ahead of their arch-rivals when we get to matchday!?

22 Nov: The NWSL Playoff final takes place in the US.

28 Nov: Tournament holders and World No. 1, Spain take on Germany in the final of the UEFA Women’s Nations League.

Bonus Tip: Click on any of the match dates above, then tap the star in the top right of the match page to automatically add them to the top of your main match feed in the app.