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Arsenal boss Renee Slegers says Olivia Smith's prowess as a central striker offers her side "versatility" as they aim to continue their strong 2026 when they visit Brighton on Sunday [BBC i Player, 14: 30 GMT]. The 21-year-old was moved off the right wing and scored the only goal in last weekend's win over leaders Manchester City. She stayed there for the Champions League tie at OH Leuven in midweek, again scoring and proving an able deputy for main striker Stina Blackstenius, absent with a calf injury. "Liv stepped into that role and did really well - it gives us versatility, " said Slegers. "We can choose different things in different moments. That is one of the big strengths in our squad. " Smith's versatility and 'contagious' positivity driving Arsenal Smith used her lightning speed to race past Manchester City defender Rebecca Knaak for the matchwinner at Emirates Stadium, before showing her positional awareness and timing of movement to produce a poacher's finish in the side's 4-0 Champions League win on Wednesday. "We've seen a couple of things that are new to us [about Smith] and that is the beautiful part, " Slegers said. "She is obviously a very good dribbler but what she does really well in those central spaces is combining with Alessia [Russo] and Frida [Maanum] in the number 10 role behind, they have some great combinations. "Her timing and movement is really good and she is such an explosive player so anything that drops in the box she is so quick to react. " With Blackstenius still sidelined, and Beth Mead unavailable with a hairline fracture to her shin, Smith is likely to be used in the central role once more when the Gunners head to the south coast this weekend. Hosts Brighton ran out 4-2 winners at Broadfield Stadium in this fixture last season, though they come into the contest in poor form with four defeats from their past five league outings. Conversely, Arsenal are aiming for a third WSL win in a row and are unbeaten in the league since October. When asked what she was expecting from the Seagulls this time round, Slegers said: "They have had a challenging run but I think they are a good team. Last year away wasn't a good performance and we lost that game, so we know what they can do. "They have an aggressive press but last time round when we played them away they did something completely different. We will see what their game plan is. "As a team, we are in a better place than we were a year ago. That has all gone into our backpack so we know we have all of those experiences of how to deal with different moments as a team. " Watch MOTD Live: Brighton & Hove Albion v Arsenal in the Women's Super League on Sunday 15 February, 14: 30 GMT. Ben Haines, Ellen White and Jen Beattie are back for another season of the Women's Football Weekly podcast. New episodes drop every Tuesday on BBC Sounds, plus find interviews and extra content from the Women's Super League and beyond on the Women's Football Weekly feed Get the latest WSL news on our dedicated page Winter Olympics - follow the action from day seven in Italy FA Cup live as Chelsea visit Hull and Wrexham host Ipswich WSL: Man City host bottom side Leicester aiming to go 11 points clear at top The anti-freeze scandal that tainted Austria’s fine wine reputation A Suitable Boy: Where traditions clash with modern dreams A smooth soul throwback mix from iconic voices An intense drama where AI deepfakes have blurred reality 'Shocking' or correct? Why Ukrainian skeleton slider was banned Tuchel deal delights FA - but timing has echoes of Capello decision Did Dyche deserve the sack at Nottingham Forest? Lucky break that changed Alexander-Arnold's Real future Frank's downfall: Inside his struggle to get players and fans onboard GB's Weston bids for skeleton gold - Friday's guide 'England the perfect game for Scotland's salvation army' In Pictures: The best of the Winter Olympics - day by day How Team GB is leading the way in curling's arms race Pilates pain and spotting space - how Ford stays in England fly-half fight at 32 Malinin, Minion and Milan's most emotional moment Why British coach is 'game-changer' for Super Bowl winners & NFL From 1% chance of survival to Super Bowl winner Copyright © 2026 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.