Arsenal Women v Birmingham City Women preview: kick-off time, team news and form
Arsenal Women host Birmingham City Women at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday 17th October 2026, with kick-off set for 12.45pm UK time in the Women's Super League.
There's plenty to play for even this early in the campaign. Arsenal sit 10th in the table on five points from five games, while Birmingham are two places further back in 13th with just two points to their name. Manchester City and Chelsea lead the way at the top, but for both Arsenal and Birmingham this one feels like an important chance to kickstart their respective seasons and climb away from the lower reaches of the table.
Form has been inconsistent for Arsenal, who go into the match on the back of a run of LDLWD across their recent fixtures. That includes a league defeat to Chelsea and a heavy 4-2 loss away at Manchester City, though there was a league win over HB Køge in European competition and a draw with Manchester United to show some signs of life. Birmingham's recent results make for tougher reading, with a run of LLDLL leaving them still searching for a first league win of the season. Their most recent league outing saw them beaten 2-1 away at Everton, following a 3-3 draw with Crystal Palace the game before.
Statistically, Arsenal have scored four goals and conceded six in the league so far this season, giving them a goal difference of -2, while Birmingham have netted seven but shipped twelve, leaving them on -5. Both sides will be keen to tighten up defensively and start turning performances into points.
On the team news front, Arsenal.com reports that Caldentey's recovery from a hamstring issue is being managed carefully (Arsenal.com), while BBC Sport reports the Spain midfielder is set to miss around ten weeks of Women's Super League action because of the injury (BBC Sport). That represents a significant absence for Arsenal as they look to arrest their indifferent start to the season. Arsenal.com has also shared footage from inside training as the squad prepare for the return to league action (Arsenal.com).
No further team news has been confirmed for Birmingham City ahead of the trip to north London.
Fans wanting to follow the action can tune in for the 12.45pm kick-off on Saturday 17th October, with Arsenal.com detailing how supporters can watch the fixture on TV (Arsenal.com).
Written with the help of AI, using the match facts and the headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.