Arsenal are aiming to reach a third straight League Cup final as they take on Manchester City at Meadow Park on Thursday evening - this would be a record second time that this has occurred. Having just seen Mikel Arteta’s side eliminated by Newcastle, Renee Slegers will be hoping to succeed where her counterpart sadly could not.

Certainly, the Gunners will be emboldened in their hopes of victory following their impressive 4-3 win away to Man City in the Women’s Super League only five days ago. The win opened up a two-point gap to Gareth Taylor’s side and kept Arsenal in step with Manchester United who remain three points ahead.

Chelsea remain unbeaten and way off in the distance and therefore it is UEFA Champions League qualification that is the aim. But while a trophy from the league is very unlikely, using that momentum can help in games such as this.

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City will come looking for revenge themselves but Arsenal are well-placed to tackle them. With the backing of their home crowd, victory would be big for Slegers who since has taken the job permanently after giving her superiors very little choice thanks to her team’s consistent good form.

The game precedes another big week which will conclude a North London Derby on February 16 due to be played at the Emirates Stadium. Arsenal have worked hard to make the 60,000-plus seater as much of a home for the women’s team as possible.

The game has just passed 50,000 in ticket sales in yet another impressive tally for the side. Arsenal for the first time in their history in February of last year sold out the Emirates for a WSL game when they took on Manchester United, following a sell-out in the UEFA Champions League.

It continues to show the growing culture and love for the women’s side of the game and in particular how Arsenal continue to be at the forefront of boosting the sport’s profile, setting standards and drawing in consistently big crowds. When you consider their old home Meadow Park – where some games like this weekend’s WSL clash with London City Lionesses are still played – has a capacity of 4,500 with only 1,700 seated it shows just how much demand there is.

Tickets are indeed still available to be purchased to attend the North London Derby next week. You can find information on how to claim them on the Arsenal website.

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