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• Messi blames pitch after 'ugly' Venezuela draw

  Lionel Messi was left annoyed at the state of the pitch at the Estadio Monumental de Maturin as Argentina drew 1-1 in Venezuela on Thursday.

  Heavy rain in Maturin had initially caused kick-off to be delayed by half an hour, although when the players eventually took to the field it was clear that the ball was holding up in water and bounced very little.

  Argentina, who had eight shots to Venezuela's 16, went ahead in the first half through Nicolas Otamendi before Salomon Rondon equalised in the 65th minute.

  And Messi did not hold back in expressing his anger at the playing conditions.

  "It was very difficult, it makes for very ugly matches," said Messi.

  "We could not complete two passes in a row. In the second half we did it on the right a little more, but it is difficult to play like that. Very little is played."

  Team-mate Rodrigo De Paul was in agreement with his captain and was another player to vent their frustration after the match.

  "In this case, we couldn't play football," he said.

  With the ball barely rolling on the pitch, both teams had to resort to changing their tactics to deal with the conditions. That is something Messi believes Argentina did well, but ultimately cost them the game.

  "We tied because the field didn't help us do what we wanted, we had to do another game than the one prepared for," he said

  "But we were prepared because we fought, won the battles, played with the error of the rival. We couldn't risk much by playing with passes to the back. 

  "In the first half we made a couple passes to the back and the water would stop it, and complicated it. We [played] the game we could with the water."

  The draw maintains Argentina's position at the top of the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying group with 19 points after nine matches. Following Colombia's defeat in Bolivia, their lead was extended by a point.

  But Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni was another who took the side of his captain, explaining that he thought the game should not have gone ahead.

  "It did not meet the minimal conditions for a football game," he said.  "You couldn't play.

  "We did what we had to do, but the conditions of the playing field were not for a match against two teams of this kind of level."

• Pellegrini red pivotal in Belgium draw, says Spalletti

  Lorenzo Pellegrini's red card was the decisive moment in Italy's 2-2 draw with Belgium on Thursday, so says Luciano Spalletti.

  Italy dropped points for the first time in Nations League Group A2 despite Andrea Cambiaso and Mateo Retegui handing the Azzurri a two-goal advantage.

  But five minutes before the interval, Pellegrini was shown a straight red card for a tackle on Arthur Theate. The Roma midfielder had first been given a yellow by the referee before a VAR review. 

  As he left the field, several whistles from the fans were aimed at Pellegrini, who became the first Italy player to receive a straight red card since Domenico Criscito in June 2018.

  Maxim De Cuyper reduced the deficit two minutes later before Leandro Trossard sealed a share of the spoils in the second half at the Stadio Olimpico.

  And Spalletti said that Pellegrini's sending off was what swung the contest in favour of the visitors, but was pleased with his side's display with a man less.

  "The description is that there are episodes that throw away games. You have to be good enough to know how to direct even those episodes," Spalletti said. 

  "Sometimes it's not possible like tonight. What is the description of the match is the displeasure of the boys in the locker room for not having won the game.

  "It was seen that they were aware that they could make it to another victory and that a bit of bad luck got in the way. This attachment that they showed with sorrow is fundamental.

  "The game was also done well with ten men. We stooped a little too low, but it became impossible. At the end of the first half, I was in doubt whether to get back to four.

  "Pellegrini, I have to review the episode, but I think it was expulsion.

  "He felt a bit frustrated and tried everything because he felt anticipated and if you touch with your studs it's always red.

  "Then you concede a goal on a free kick, you take an avoidable goal on a corner kick. Tonight it had to be like this, we paid too dearly for these small mistakes".

  Belgium improved following Pellegrini's dismissal, having registered an expected goals (xG) total of 0.19 from their four shots in the first half. 

  After the break, the Red Devils produced eight shots, though only one was on target, which proved to be the equaliser as Trossard nipped in front of Gianluigi Donnarumma. 

  Belgium head coach Domenico Tedesco acknowledged the difficulties his side faced, not helped by Cambiaso's early goal, which was the first time the Azzurri had scored inside a minute since Emanuele Giaccherini did so against Haiti in 2013. 

  "We really struggled, and the red card helped us enormously," Tedesco said.

  "We know we can do better, but that quick goal against threw all our plans into disarray.

  "In possession we stuck to the plan, but without the ball we were too high. The Italians always had a surplus in midfield. So our pressing did not work.

  "It's often even harder to score against 10 Italians. They know how to defend.

  "From the moment they dropped back – which happened after the red card – it was harder, but we changed the tactics and it worked."

• Arsenal boss Eidevall feeling the heat ahead of crunch Chelsea clash

  It is only matchweek four in the Women's Super League but the big games are coming thick and fast.

  And Saturday's meeting between Arsenal and reigning champions Chelsea is big, with a capital 'B'.

  Arsenal welcome Chelsea to Emirates Stadium for a match that will give fans an early indication of whether the Gunners are really title contenders this season.

  It has been an indifferent start to the campaign for Arsenal, who faced last year's runners-up Manchester City on the opening day. That ended in a 2-2 draw, in which Vivianne Miedema netted a first-half equaliser, the first blow inflicted against her former club after a transfer Jonas Eidevall may live to regret.

  Arsenal then won a tight game away to Leicester City 1-0 but were held to a draw by struggling Everton.

  The Gunners have also played an extra game than their opponents heading into Saturday, as Chelsea's match with Manchester United was cancelled due to its proximity to their Champions League meeting with Real Madrid to their WSL fixture.

  Chelsea, who beat Madrid in that aforementioned game, have started like a rocket under new boss Sonia Bompastor, taking maximum points from their opening two WSL matches.

  The Blues have scored eight goals in two games, with seven different players scoring. Although it is not quite the same style of play as it was under Emma Hayes, they look well set to continue their domestic dominance.

  Chelsea inflicted a 7-0 rout on newcomers Crystal Palace in matchweek two, following on from a tense 1-0 win over Aston Villa. Bompastor is therefore aiming to become the fourth manager to win each of their first three games in the WSL. The previous three are David Parker (2011 with Birmingham City), Rehanne Skinner (2021 with Tottenham) and, coincidentally, Eidevall in 2021.

  Both teams have played in Europe this week as they began their group-stage campaigns in the Women's Champions League. While Chelsea edged out Madrid 3-2 in a thriller, Arsenal were humbled 5-2 by Bayern Munich.

  Eidevall has been critical of the hectic schedule, feeling the WSL calendar puts English clubs at a disadvantage when they play in European competition. Saturday's game could well be a test of which of these teams have dealt with the demands better.

  The heat is on

  Arsenal's inability to grind out the wins in crucial games last season left them trailing behind Chelsea and Man City in the run-in and only really playing for third spot. This term, Eidevall has made some changes he thought could improve their chances.

  Reinforcements included a Champions League winner with Barcelona, Mariona Caldentey.

  However, the World Cup winner is yet to record a league goal contribution this season since her arrival from the Catalan giants, despite leading the way for open-play shot-ending sequences in Arsenal's squad (17).

  However, she has registered 1.04 expected assists (xA) – that is the third-highest total in the WSL, behind Man City star Lauren Hemp (1.24) and Liverpool's Marie-Therese Hobinger (1.37).

  Indeed, it is again only that duo that can better Caldentey's tally of six chances created.

  And despite a poor night for Arsenal in Munich, one of the positives to come from the game was the Spaniard's performance.

  Caldentey opened the scoring, had a team-high three shots, and most importantly they all came from inside the box. Despite playing as a forward, a position where it can be hard to see much of the ball, only Leah Williamson (102) and Laia Codina (79) had more touches than her 74 among Arsenal players.

  With Caldentey still eyeing her first WSL goal, last season's headline signing Alessia Russo has struggled for form too.

  Russo averaged 4.1 shots per 90 last season, but that figure is down to 2.5 this term across her three games. Squandering both big chances that have come her way in the WSL, her expected goals on target (xGoT) of 0.31 compared to her 0.62 expected goals (xG) also shows her finishing has been slightly below par.

  However, her rate of touches in the opposition box per 90 is 7.9, up from 7.1 in 2023-24, while she is creating chances on a consistent basis in line with last year, too (1.5 per 90 across both seasons, albeit across a small sample size this season).

  This may be the game she sparks into life, as Russo has scored four goals in six WSL appearances against Chelsea, including netting two in two matches against the Blues when she has been playing for the Gunners.

  Gunning for goals

  The pressure is on Eidevall to find solutions with what is a talented group. 

  While Chelsea have been free-scoring in the opening weeks of the season, they have also been clinical. The Blues are the WSL's leading scorers, though they are also the biggest xG overperformers, too, outperforming their 3.9 xG by 4.1 and converting all three of the big chances that have come their way.

  Arsenal, on the other hand, have scored just three goals in as many matches. In fact, their 1.4 xG underperformance is the second highest, after Man City's 2.0 (five goals from 7.0 xG). The Gunners have had 47 shots, an average of 15.6 per game, and less than only Villa (48) and Man City (57). Arsenal's shot conversion rate (6.38%) is the fourth-lowest in the WSL, however.

  The Gunners must be more ruthless in front of goal. They have had 11 big chances in the WSL this term, yet scored just three of them – that 27.27% big chance conversion rate is higher than only strugglers Everton (0%), West Ham (0%) and Leicester City (20%).

  The departure of the WSL's leading all-time goalscorer Miedema angered Arsenal fans at the end of last season, and their lack of potency in front of goal so far has only added to the pressure mounting on Eidevall.

  Arsenal may be low in confidence, and some Gunners players endured a difficult game against Bayern, but the same cannot be said for captain Williamson. 

  She produced an all-action performance against Bayern and jumped off the page when it comes to many of the headline metrics. She had the best figures of anyone on the pitch for touches (102), accurate passes (77), passes in the final third (24), final third entries (19) and clearances (six), while also playing two key passes.

  Frida Maanum has caught the eye, too. She has already netted twice in the WSL, while her 1.04 xG is the highest of any Arsenal player. Her 1.96 xGoT meanwhile, suggests, her finishing has been above what would have been anticipated based on the quality of chances she has taken on.

  Only Khadija Shaw (25) has logged more touches in the opposition box than Maanum (18), with the Norwegian level with her former team-mate Miedema.

  Bompastor's Va-Va-Voom

  There is a different kind of pressure on Bompastor, but she has made a fantastic start to her tenure after replacing the legendary Hayes.

  However, she has managed to put her own stamp on this Chelsea side, utilising players in different ways and bringing out the best of the old squad while making smart additions.

  One of the standout players so far has been Guru Reiten.

  Bompastor has a wealth of attacking talent at her disposal, including Sandy Baltimore, Mayra Ramirez, Lauren James and Johanna Rytting Kaneryd, so Reiten has taken on a more central role.

  The Norwegian has spent just 2% of her minutes on the wing this season – 47% of her minutes have been spent in an attacking midfield position, but she has mainly been deployed in a central midfield role.

  Last season, she spent just 5% of her time as a central midfielder, with 92% of the minutes she clocked up being spent on the left wing, and 3% at left-back. She has been the most prolific player for Chelsea, scoring twice, and is tied for third for goals scored in the league in 2024-25.

  Reiten, who scored in Tuesday's win over Madrid, has thrived with the positional switch, and has registered the second-highest xG in Chelsea's squad in the league (0.58), behind James (0.95).

  Bompastor will hope goalkeeper Hannah Hampton is fit after she had to pull out of the Madrid game due to illness. Hampton has saved all seven of the shots on target she has faced this season.

  Two other goalkeepers - Manchester United's Phallon Tullis-Joyce (5/5 shots saved) and Arsenal's Daphne van Domselaar (4/4 shots saved) also have a 100% save percentage this term in the WSL.

  Hampton is the last line of a solid defence. Chelsea's xG against (xGA) of 1.33 suggests they have been somewhat fortunate not to give up at least a goal, but their tally of 18 shots faced is the second-lowest in the league, albeit they have only played twice.

  Millie Bright spent most of last season out with injury and her return has been like a new signing in defence. She has won 12 duels across the two WSL matches she has played this term – more than any other Chelsea player. An actual new signing, Lucy Bronze, has also proved an excellent addition. 

  Head-to-head

  Chelsea won 3-1 the last time they met Arsenal in the WSL, and will be aiming to win back-to-back league matches against the Gunners for the first time since January 2020.

  The Blues have won two of the last three WSL meetings between these sides (3-1 in March 2024, 2-0 in May 2023), though Arsenal beat Chelsea 4-1 in the corresponding fixture last season.

  The Gunners also beat Chelsea 1-0 in the Women's League Cup final in March, so there are recent successes to draw on for the hosts.

  Eidevall and Bompastor have met twice previously, with both of those games coming in the 2022-23 Champions League group stage: Arsenal beat Lyon 5-1 – inflicting Bompastor's biggest defeat of her managerial career – before losing 1-0 in the return leg.

  Eidevall is in desperate need of a result at the Emirates. He has had the beating of Bompastor once before and will need to draw on that experience to find a way past what looks like an unstoppable Chelsea side. If he cannot, then Arsenal's title hopes could already be dwindling before the season has really begun.

  Having played a game less than Man City, Chelsea are a point behind the WSL leaders.

  The Blues are made the favourites by the Opta supercomputer, which ranks their win probability at 42%. 

  Arsenal, on the other hand, came out on top in 32.5% of the model's simulations, so expect a tight encounter, with the draw threat at 25.5%. While they are unbeaten in the WSL this term, it really does feel like Eidevall needs a win to ease some doubts.