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| Fulham manager Gaute Haugenes |
A match between Fulham Ladies and Arsenal Ladies brims with expectancy and tonight’s meeting at Carshalton FC (kick-off 7.45pm) inevitably will decide the destiny of the national division title.
Fulham, who are level with Doncaster Belles at the top of the league but with two games in hand, last suffered defeat almost two seasons ago, in the FA Cup final, when they lost to Arsenal. Arsenal have won five titles in ten years and five of the past ten FA Cups.
After Arsenal’s 4-1 win over Leeds United on Saturday, they trail Fulham by ten points and have played three matches fewer. Arsenal must win all their remaining seven league matches, starting away to Fulham, to stand a chance of taking their third consecutive title and earn a place in the Uefa Women’s Cup next season.
Encounters between the two are generally tight. Fulham defeated Arsenal in the Charity Shield at the start of the season, 2-1 away in the league in November and on penalties in the League Cup final last month, leaving themselves with a realistic chance of completing the treble when they play Charlton Athletic in the FA Cup final next month.
“I don’t think we are as effective as converting the chances we create as we were last season,” Gaute Haugenes, the Fulham manager, said. “That said, it will be a remarkable achievement if we can win a