Katie McCabe could face Arsenal for the first time since ending her decade-long spell in north London when Chelsea host Renée Slegers’ side on Sunday.
The Republic of Ireland captain joined Chelsea on a deal until 2029 after her Arsenal contract expired in the summer, bringing one of the club’s longest-serving modern spells to an end.
Her return adds another major subplot to a fixture that is already remarkably even historically, with our Chelsea Women vs Arsenal Women head-to-head guide showing the clubs locked together on 22 competitive wins each.
McCabe explains Arsenal departure
McCabe has spoken openly about why she felt the time was right to leave.
In a Chelsea interview following her move, she said:
“I achieved all I could achieve with them.”
The 30-year-old described Chelsea as a new challenge after more than 10 years at Arsenal.
She has already started for Sonia Bompastor in Europe this season, including Wednesday’s Champions League victory over Austria Vienna.
Arsenal prepare for familiar opponent
McCabe’s aggression, crossing and ability to operate at full-back or wing-back will be very familiar to Slegers’ squad.
Whether she starts remains another question after Chelsea rotated their defensive options during the past week.
Read Arsenal’s predicted Arsenal Women XI against Chelsea has Emily Fox returning at right-back, potentially creating a direct battle with her former team-mate.
For McCabe, though, the occasion is unavoidable.
After more than a decade wearing red and white, she could now line up against Arsenal for the first time.
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