The Women’s Super League will enter its third week of competition, here’s what to look out for this weekend…
The Merseyside Derby
Liverpool v Everton – October 15 at 16:30
Liverpool come off the back of a fantastic start to their second season in the WSL to face Everton at Anfield.
Liverpool started the season strong with a shock 1-0 win against title-contenders Arsenal on the opening weekend of the season.
The Reds then continued their impressive start after a hard-fought win 2-0 against Aston Villa.
Conversely Everton have not had the ideal start to a season with back to back losses from the toffees.
Everton lost to Brighton & Hove Albion in their opening game of the season 2-1 and couldn’t improve against Leicester City last week losing 1-0.
The game promises to be one full of excitement as the game will take place at Anfield stadium instead of the usual ladies home ground of Prenton Park.
Man City missing two key players
Manchester City v Bristol City- October 15 at 13:00
The Sky Blues face newly promoted Bristol City this weekend but with Alex Greenwood and Lauren Hemp both being sent off in their last match against Chelsea, it could be a tough one for Gareth Taylor’s team.
In a match that saw 11 cards perhaps the most controversial was Greenwood’s in the 38th minute for taking 26 seconds to restart play with a free kick.
Greenwood was central to England getting to the final in the World Cup this summer and is pivotal to City’s backline defence and her presence will surely be missed on Sunday.
Lauren Hemp was shown a second yellow after a foul on Lauren James in the 81st minute.
Hemp is normally found on the left wing for City and is known for being rapid with the ball.
Both will serve a three match ban, and it will be interesting to see how the sky blues perform without them.
Beth Mead could play for Arsenal
Arsenal v Aston Villa – October 15 at 14:00
Beth Mead is arguably one of the best forwards in the game at the moment.
But the Euro 2022 Golden Boot Winner has been out for nearly 12 months now with an ACL picked up in November last year.
Mead has returned to full team training this week playing an in-house training match against Arsenal’s youth team on Wednesday.
The match against Aston Villa is a crucial one for Arsenal, who have not had the start to the season they would have wished for, losing against Liverpool and drawing against Manchester United.
However, it could be difficult to see where Mead would slot back into the squad as manager Jonas Eidevall has stacked his team with superstar talents.
Notably, Eidevall signed Alessia Russo from Manchester United who has been playing in that number nine position.
Competition between who will start will be fierce when Mead is back up to full health.
Leicester City top the table
Leicester City v Manchester United- October 15 at 12:00
Leicester City have made an incredible start to their season winning both matches played so far beating Everton and Bristol City.
However the true test of their form will come against last season’s runners-up Manchester United on Sunday.
The improvement comes off the back of a battle against relegation last season but the Foxes fought to stay up and have shown tremendous form so far.
The game will be played at United’s home ground, Leigh Sports Village, so the Foxes will have to battle against a rowdy home crowd.
Referees under the spotlight
Referees are under a watchful eye in football at the moment with big blunders in both Men’s and Women’s games.
Fans were understandably unhappy with the 11 cards handed out at the Manchester City v Chelsea game last weekend.
After 12 games played in the WSL this season, there have already been 43 yellow cards.
Last year there were only 23 at this stage.
Emily Heaslip, the referee in the Manchester City v Chelsea match, had to be escorted out of the stadium after fans were understandably angry with the refereeing in the game.
There are also concerns over the three match ban awarded for red cards in a 22 match season as players miss out more than in a men’s premier league season.
