Beth Mead Set for Emirates Farewell in Arsenal Vs Everton
Arsenal vs Everton at Emirates Stadium on Wednesday will be Beth Mead’s final home game as a Gunners player. The 7pm WSL kick-off comes with second place on the line, because Arsenal need four points from their last two league games to secure it and the direct Champions League group-stage place that comes with it.
Beth Mead’s Emirates farewell
Mead is set to play in front of the Arsenal crowd for the final time before leaving for Manchester City this summer. The forward has made Emirates Stadium her garden over the years, and this match gives supporters one more chance to see her in red and white at home.
That departure sits alongside a wider reshaping of the squad. Last week, the exits of Manu Zinsberger and Naomi Williams were announced, and this week Laia Codina, Victoria Pelova and Mead were added to the list.
Arsenal’s final home test
The Everton fixture is Arsenal’s last home game of the season, and the schedule leaves no room for drift. After Wednesday, the team go away to Liverpool on Saturday, with the Champions League target tied directly to those two results.
Renee Slegers’ side reached this point after a 3-0 win at Villa Park at the weekend. The result kept the pressure on in the league, while the upcoming home finale now carries both a farewell and a standings task.
Squad returns and absences
Leah Williamson is back after missing the games at Brighton and Villa, and Katie McCabe also returns after sitting out the Aston Villa match because of a family matter. Steph Catley is not quite ready to return after a calf injury, though she may be available for the Liverpool game.
Arsenal will still be without Manu Zinsberger, Katie Reid and Michelle Agyemang because of ACL injuries, while Kyra Cooney-Cross remains on compassionate leave. The mix leaves Slegers with a changed group for a night that is about more than the scoreline: the crowd will see Mead one last time at home, and the league table will decide how much the club gets from it.
