Barclays WSL Matchday 16 Preview
Here is everything that there is to look ahead to on Matchday 16 this upcoming weekend in the Barclays Women’s Super League. Last week, Manchester City’s winning momentum took a hit at the top of the league after defeat to Arsenal, and Manchester United and Chelsea were both victorious as well to put the pressure back on the league leaders.
It continues to be tight between the middle pack, plus it remains even closer down near the bottom after things all changed with Leicester City slipping down into last place, and Liverpool, West Ham, and Everton all managing to pull away for the time being, as every point becomes vital for those fighting to survive having to play in a relegation playoff.
Manchester City vs Leicester City
Friday 13 February, Joie Stadium, 19:00pm
The action kicks off with some Friday Night Football from the Joie Stadium, and it sees 1st place take on 12th place, with Manchester City facing Leicester City. Both teams will be keen on getting the victory following defeats in their previous matches. Last weekend was Manchester City’s first league loss since the opening weekend against Chelsea, whereas Leicester were beaten by Manchester United, making it a run of three straight BWSL defeats for the Foxes.
The campaign has become a difficult one as of late for Leicester City due to this run of form, and one of the factors that has caused them problems this season has been their struggles in front of goal. It’s been just the eight goals scored by the Foxes over the course of this season, with Shannon O’Brien being their top scorer with three goals.
Rick Passmoor’s side are in need of some points on Friday evening against Andrée Jeglertz’s Manchester City, but it won’t be an easy task as Man City will be aiming to bounce back immediately following last week’s loss versus Arsenal. They will be hoping to resolve the issues they faced in that match last weekend, having failed to score in a WSL match for the first time this season, plus registering their lowest shots on target total (1).
The last time these two met in the BWSL earlier in the season, it ended 3-0 to Manchester City after two goals from Khadija “Bunny” Shaw, and one by Kerolin. What was interesting about this previous encounter was that all three of Man City’s goals came after the 74th minute of the match. They had dominated for large spells, but Leicester had been very strong with their defensive organisation, and were a tough team to break down before the deadlock was eventually broken.
Leicester City will have to replicate a similar defensive effort again to increase their chances of getting anything away from home, plus helping themselves reset in amongst their battle to avoid finishing bottom of the WSL this season.
Aston Villa vs Tottenham Hotspur
Sunday 15 February, Villa Park, 12:00pm
At Villa Park on Sunday, two more teams looking to bounce back from defeats last time out are Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur. Momentum hasn’t been the same with these sides in the second half of their BWSL campaigns, so they will want to rediscover that consistency to help them out with their respective targets as to how they want to each end their respective campaigns.
Aston Villa are winless in their last three BWSL matches, and across that time frame, they have conceded 10 goals, which has brought their overall goals conceded total to 29 for the season. Only West Ham have conceded more, and it’s their defensive issues that have been one of the causes of their bad patch of form in recent matches.
Losing to Chelsea last weekend was Tottenham’s second loss in their last three league games, and previously, they had only lost once in the league between the period of November and their loss to Liverpool three weeks ago. Their two recent defeats have put a dent in their hopes to finish in the top three spots, but this weekend’s match does offer a chance for them to get back to winning ways given their opponents’ form.
Previous meetings have been fairly split between the two teams. They are equal in terms of the last five WSL encounters between the pair, with two wins for Villa and two wins for Spurs, including one 2-2 draw in between back in September 2024.
The most recent match saw some late drama after Aston Villa took the lead through their top scorer Kirsty Hanson in the 84th minute, only for Bethany England to respond with an equaliser a minute later. Olivia Holdt then scored a winner in added time to complete a turnaround for Tottenham. If this weekend’s match proves to be anything like the tactical battle that happened back in December, then it should be an intriguing watch.
Chelsea vs Liverpool
Sunday 15 February, Kingsmeadow, 12:00pm
It promises to be a very interesting matchup at Kingsmeadow when Chelsea take on Liverpool at lunchtime on Sunday. Both teams will be aiming for back-to-back wins this weekend, with a victory meaning a lot to either one of these teams for different reasons. Chelsea’s win over Tottenham helped them avoid dropping more points in their battle to stay amongst the top three following a recent drop in form.
Pressure has grown on Sonia Bompastor’s side due to recent results and performances, but they have an opportunity to raise their hopes of comfortably finishing in those top positions come the end of the season. Alyssa Thompson is bound to be key for them once again after scoring her sixth goal of the season last time out against Tottenham. She has been one of their most consistent performers this season, and has scored in four of her last five WSL games, so Liverpool’s defence will have to be aware of the threat that she carries.
Gareth Taylor’s side have improved a lot in recent matches, with results reflecting an upturn in performances, as they have only lost one of their last five in the Barclays WSL. The impact of their January signings has been felt, and Aurélie Csillag managed to get her account up and running for the club in their 4-1 win over Aston Villa last time out. Mia Enderby has also discovered some good form, having scored all of her league goals in three of Liverpool’s last four league matches.
The last meeting between the teams came as recently as December before the winter break in the Subway Women’s League Cup, when Chelsea brushed aside Liverpool with ease in a 9-1 victory. The away side will be hoping this weekend doesn’t go the same way, and they can be hopeful of securing points this weekend after they drew with Chelsea earlier in the season with their last BWSL encounter.
Moving off the foot of the table last weekend and going up into 11th place will have been a huge relief for Liverpool, but finding some more important points will be crucial if they are to avoid slipping back down into last place. They have established a good platform to build upon, and getting a result against Chelsea could boost their confidence even further.
Everton vs West Ham United
Sunday 15 February, Goodison Park, 12:00pm
A key game awaits for Everton and West Ham as both aim to continue their stride away from the bottom of the table, following wins in Matchday 15. Everton beat London City Lionesses away from home, while Rita Guarino’s West Ham had to come from behind to claim three points in a crazy ending to their match against Brighton.
Everton’s confidence is sure to have risen after they secured three points and a second straight win in the WSL. Beforehand, things had not been going well following a poor run of results that dragged them closer to the relegation battle. Another win could potentially help move them up the table depending on other results this Sunday.
Interim head coach Scott Phelan will be hoping that his side can manage to achieve a third straight win. It is something that they haven’t done in the league since a run between December 2022 and January 2023. Coincidentally, it was also West Ham that they beat back then to make it three wins in a row. The Toffees have been boosted by some good displays from Inma Gabarro in the last two matches since she was recalled from a loan spell with Sevilla in Liga F. The Spaniard scored the winner for Everton last time out, having started up front and shown early signs of good link-up play with her teammates.
It won’t be an easy task to complete as they come up against a West Ham side who have won their last two matches against Everton. They were 3-1 winners in the encounter at the Chigwell Construction Stadium back in November. Two of their goal scorers in that one, Amber Tysiak and Anouk Denton both left the club in January, but some better displays from their attackers has given them a boost in recent weeks.
The other scorer in that win earlier in the season was Shekiera Martinez, and the German forward has been on a good run for West Ham lately, with at least one goal scored in her last three BWSL appearances. Another one for her this weekend would make it the longest consecutive scoring streak she has achieved in her time at the club since debuting for West Ham over a year ago.
As it stands heading into this match, Everton are 9th in the table, with five points being the gap between themselves and Leicester. West Ham are in 10th, with a two-point gap on last place, so three points will be massive for either of them if they are looking to ease the pressure of having to look over their shoulder.
Manchester United vs London City Lionesses
Sunday 15 February, Leigh Sports Village, 12:00pm
2nd-place Manchester United face off against 6th-place London City Lionesses at Leigh Sports Village, and it will be an interesting test for Marc Skinner’s side as they face the quick turnaround from having played in the UEFA Women’s Champions League playoff first leg on Thursday.
Squad rotation is the key for Manchester United, but the impact of their substitutes this season has been integral for them because of the 10 goal involvements that have come from players who have come off the bench for them in matches this season. Their recent league form since a defeat in the Manchester derby back at the end of November has helped them out massively. A continuation of this positive trajectory could also help apply pressure on their rivals Manchester City above them.
London City Lionesses on the other hand, they are looking to restore some positive momentum, with just the one victory registered in the BWSL so far under Eder Maestre in the time that he has been head coach at the club. Finding some consistency with results is their main target as they aim to maintain their current position in the middle of the league table. Although this weekend will be a big challenge for London City Lionesses when they come up against a team that beat them heavily in the last meeting between the pair.
The match earlier this season is the only time they have played each other, and Manchester United scored five against this season’s promoted side on the second matchday. The home side will be targeting more of that ruthlessness in front of goal, whereas this weekend’s match offers a chance for London City Lionesses to show how far they have come since that one, and in turn, restore some confidence by achieving a result.
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Arsenal
Sunday 15 February, Broadfield Stadium, 14:30pm
The final game of Matchday 16 comes from Broadfield Stadium, and Brighton & Hove Albion are aiming to bounce back from what was a disappointing loss last weekend against West Ham, while Arsenal are travelling to Crawley aiming to continue a positive run of results. Much like Manchester United, they too will be having to deal with recovering from playing in the UEFA Women’s Champions League, after they were 4-0 winners in Belgium on Wednesday against OH Leuven.
The contrast in form between these two teams is one of the intriguing factors heading into Sunday’s fixture. The home team have won one in their last five, while in comparison, Arsenal have four wins from their last five, with the other result ending in a draw. Despite this difference between them both, Sunday’s match could still make for an interesting tactical battle.
In both of Brighton’s last two defeats, they did score the opening goal, and Kiko Seike was the scorer on both occasions. The Seagulls have proven to be efficient enough when it comes to converting many of their big chances during matches. With 32 big chances created, they are ranked fifth amongst the rest of the BWSL, and that isn’t too far behind Arsenal (36).
Brighton will know they must be clinical with their chances when up against the team who have conceded the lowest number of goals in the league this season. Ten goals have been conceded by Arsenal, which is three more than Chelsea and Manchester City. It would also be four straight clean sheets for Arsenal in the Women’s Super League if they were to stop Brighton from scoring this weekend.
Both teams look to play with possession of the ball, but it is Arsenal who have registered the higher average percentage with 59.2%. They even won the possession battle in the previous meeting, which ended 1-0 to Arsenal. Brighton have only ever beaten Arsenal once in their last ten meetings back in May towards the end of last season.