Eidevall: Very odd Arsenal play before Champions League semi-final

The Gunners make a WSL trip to league leaders Manchester United on Wednesday before taking on Wolfsburg away on Sunday in the first leg of their European last-four tie.

Emma Hayes’ Chelsea, most recently in action last Sunday, play leg one of the other Champions League semi-final against Barcelona at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

Eidevall told a press conference on Tuesday: “I find it very odd we are the only team of the two English teams that are qualified that are forced to play before our semi-final.

“I have a really hard time getting my head around that, because it’s almost like you want one of the teams to have a better chance to succeed than the other.

“But like I said with injuries, we can only focus on what we do have, and now this is the schedule we have, that we need to go to Manchester and play well there, and we need to go to Wolfsburg – but of course, it’s preference to have, like the other team does, no games at all, to train and to prepare for the Champions League.”

He added: “I can’t see the reasons for it. It’s something we have to look into after, for the appropriate time, because I can’t see the logic.”

The PA news agency has approached the Football Association for comment.

Skipper Kim Little has joined Arsenal’s long-term absentee list – already featuring ACL injury victims Beth Mead and Vivianne Miedema – having sustained a hamstring issue last month that has ruled her out for the rest of the season.

Eidevall’s side head into Wednesday’s match lying third in the table, three points worse off than United but with a game in hand over them.

Champions Chelsea are between the pair, a point behind United and also having played one match fewer, while Manchester City are fourth, level on points with Arsenal.

United boss Marc Skinner said of Wednesday’s game at Leigh Sports Village: “It’s almost like a heavyweight contest – one punch from anyone can knock the other one out.

“So we have to make sure that we’re the team that are the aggressor. We’re going to have to rely heavily on our fanbase as well. They’re so important for us. Hopefully that can be the edge. But we know how difficult it will be.”

Also on Wednesday, bottom side Brighton host Everton in their first WSL match under new boss Melissa Phillips.

The Seagulls, for whom the American is a third permanent manager of the season following the departures of Hope Powell and Jens Scheuer, are two points adrift of 11th-placed Leicester with two more games left to play than the Foxes.

Their opening fixture with Phillips in charge was Saturday’s 3-2 FA Cup semi-final loss at United, in which they led 1-0 and were eventually beaten by an 89th-minute goal.

And the 35-year-old said: “I think that was a brilliant starting point.

“There’s a lot to take away, from the attitude, the resilience, and knowing we can go toe to toe with them. We’ll take a load of belief going into this game.”