Why Tottenham v Arsenal could define their seasons – live on BBC One

With Tottenham stuttering and Arsenal floundering, these fierce rivals both need a victory in Saturday's showdown, live on BBC One. Arsenal's Alessia Russo has scored more goals against Tottenham than any other opponent – but has only one league goal so far in 2026-27 Arsenal have scored five goals in six Women's Super League (WSL) games this season – the joint-second lowest tally in the division. They might well be grateful, then, to be facing a team on Saturday that have conceded 12 goals in their past two matches. It just so happens that team is fierce rivals Tottenham. But Spurs have their own fires to fight, given their decent start to the WSL campaign has gone up in flames.

This is a north London derby that could define both teams' seasons. Since Renee Slegers was appointed initially as interim head coach in October 2024, her WSL win percentage of 65.2% is bettered only by Chelsea (76%) and Manchester City (73.1%) The first six games have been galling for under-pressure Arsenal boss Renee Slegers, particularly given pre-season talk of a serious title push. The facts do not make for pleasant reading for Arsenal and their fans: Defeats at pre-season title rivals Chelsea and Manchester City mean they are nine points off Champions League qualification Eighth in the table on the