Arsenal women team ready to show Wenger and co how it’s against Man City in League Cup final

Arsenal and Manchester City ladies playing in a past game. [Photo: Courtesy]

Arsenal have a chance for revenge over Manchester City when they square off for the Continental Cup final — the League Cup of the women's game.

But just like the clubs' fellas when they met in the Carabao Cup final two weeks ago, City are ahead of the Gunners in the league and are favourites to retain their trophy in Wednesday's match in Wycombe.

Arsenal manager Joe Montemurro took over in November, and the 48-year-old Aussie is trying to get his new club back to the top of the women’s game in the face of strong competition from City and Women’s Super League leaders Chelsea.

But that is where the similarities end which is something Montemurro is trying to address to help the women’s game gain more of a level footing with their multi-billion pound counterparts in the Premier League.

Montemurro said: “It’s an ongoing question. The thing that I grapple with is that it should just be normal, normal with elite athletes, whether they are footballers or hockey players, male or female, should be on an equal footing.

“Are we going to achieve that quickly? No, obviously not. The disparity of wages and wage structures is huge. I would just like to see the bridging of elite sportspeople. I don’t understand why there is this huge disparity.

“I grapple with the abnormality and the way that elite sportspeople, sportsmen and sportswomen should be treated because they all put in the hard yards, the same hard work and they should be treated equally.”

Montemurro joined Arsenal from Australia's Melbourne City, where he enjoyed great success Down Under. But when the Gunners came calling he jumped at the chance, even though they have fallen behind City and Chelsea.

He said: “When a club like Arsenal - I’ve been a fan all my life - come calling then it’s too good to refuse and I’m still humbled, still scratching myself every time I walk into the facility with a mixture of disbelief and it feeling it a bit surreal but it’s an honour to be here.

“I’m proud of what we’ve achieved so far, getting us back within striking distance of the league, we’re in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, so the momentum will hopefully carry through, hope we’ll keep growing and we can strike first with the first trophy of the season.”