Barclays WSL Matchweek 21 Preview 

A look at the BWSL Weekend action

This weekend sees the penultimate of action to look in-depth towards in the Barclays Women’s Super League, with many teams playing their final home games of the 2025/2026 campaign, and still some defining moments are to be had as the title race remains in play, as well as a few final positionings in the table.

Manchester City are aiming to keep themselves in the driving seat to win a first Barclays WSL title since 2016 as they welcome their ex-head coach Gareth Taylor back to the Joie Stadium with his Liverpool side.

Elsewhere, defining games await Chelsea and Manchester United as they battle for a top three finish, with United having to secure victory against Brighton in the opening game of the weekend to have any chance of qualifying for the UEFA Women’s Champions League next season.

In the middle pack and lower end of the table, things can still change as a few of the teams face each other this weekend, with Tottenham Hotspur against London City Lionesses and Aston Villa vs West Ham United.

Manchester United vs Brighton and Hove Albion

Saturday 2 May, Progress With Unity Stadium, 12pm

With no win in their last four games in all competitions, Manchester United are going to be targeting a victory at the Progress With Unity Stadium, with Brighton and Hove Albion travelling up to face them on Saturday lunchtime whilst on an unbeaten run of four games without defeat.

Manchester United head into this game still firmly in the battle to finish in the top three places, although after climbing up to third after last weekend’s draw with Tottenham, they slipped out of third and down to fourth after Arsenal’s victory over Leicester City. Meanwhile, Brighton are in sixth place and are looking to end their season in style, with fifth place still within sight as they sit six points behind Tottenham with three games left to play.

Dario Vidosic’s side have been encouraged by their recent form in the Barclays WSL, and after a first win over a team currently in the top four this season, their target will be to continue along that trail of positive momentum as they face another top four side this weekend.

Looking at the head-to-head record between Manchester United and Brighton, it is Marc Skinner’s side who have comfortably won on more occasions, with the last ten meetings in all competitions ending in eight Manchester Utd win and two draws. The previous match earlier this season back in November ended 3-2 to Manchester United at Broadfield Stadium. Jess Park was key for Man Utd in that game, scoring a goal and grabbing an assist, plus combined well with Ella Toone as part of much of United’s chance creation across the 90 minutes.

Also scoring in that game were Fran Kirby and Kiko Seike, who have both been the biggest influential players for Brighton this season. They will be important this weekend as well and Seike in particular has more league goals this season than any other player between these two sides (8). If the Japanese international was to score this weekend, then that would make it five-successive Barclays WSL games for her club in which she has scored at least once.

Comparing the two teams across many other stats, Manchester United have the better of Brighton, but there’s not much to separate them in terms of big chances created per game and how efficient they have both been in making the most of their scoring opportunities. Manchester United have been marginally better in creating big chances per game at 2.5 compared to Brighton’s 2.2. However, Brighton’s average of missed big chances (1.5) is lower than United’s (1.7).

This weekend has the potential to be a very intriguing encounter between these teams, and both will be keen on securing three points to reach their respective goals for the season in their last remaining games. Manchester United have to deliver a result and performance that can keep them in the battle for a top three finish, while Brighton look to show they can do against one of the top-flight’s best sides.

Manchester City vs Liverpool

Sunday 3 May, Joie Stadium, 12pm

Manchester City host Liverpool in the final game of this season happening at the Joie Stadium, with the pressure all on the home side to secure a victory this weekend that will boost their chances of winning the Barclays WSL title this season.

Andrée Jeglertz’s side are currently on 49 points and they missed out on the chance to lift the trophy this Sunday after a surprise 3-2 defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion in which they had led 1-0 through Kerolin in the opening five minutes, before Brighton turned the scoreline around and held on to win despite a late goal from Khadija Shaw that gave City a glimmer of an opportunity to pull off a comeback. The focus will be firmly on getting the crucial three points this weekend however, and to do so they will have to beat a Liverpool side coached by their former manager.

Gareth Taylor will arrive at the Joie Stadium with Liverpool in what will be the first game he has coached a team there since his departure from Manchester City last season. His side have been on a strong run of form, but were beaten last week in a 1-0 loss to West Ham, where an early own goal off Cornelia Kapocs proved decisive and Liverpool were unable to find a breakthrough of their own despite numerous chances to score.

They are currently 10th place in the WSL standings and are assured of their place in the league next season given they are eight points clear of the bottom. The rest of this season for them feels like one where they are looking to see it out in a confident mood and also look to showcase how far they have come in the second half of the season by testing themselves against the team at the top of the league.

Previous meetings between Manchester City and Liverpool have largely ended in a victory for City, with Liverpool only having beaten them once in the previous ten fixture sin all competitions. That win came in May 2023 as two goals from Natasha Dowie and Missy Bo Kearns either side of a Lauren Hemp goal for Man City gave the Reds a 2-1 home win on that day.

Earlier this season when they met, it also ended in a 2-1 scoreline but with a different outcome as Manchester City turned a one-goal deficit around through goals by Iman Beney and Aoba Fujino to win 2-1, with the latter scoring the winner in the 86th minute. That game had been largely dominated by Andrée Jeglertz’s side with 65% possession and the fact they limited Liverpool to just two shots in total.

The aim for Manchester City this weekend will be looking to be more clinical with their chances they are creating. While having been very impressive on the attacking front all season long, last time out against Brighton they had seven big chances missed, and a similar pattern followed with Liverpool in their defeat to West Ham. They led with possession and also registered good numbers that were above their season averages. However, Gareth Taylor’s side were missing that final clinical touch when it came to converting their opportunities.

Signs do point to an encounter where Manchester City will look to have more possession and be more controlled with what they look to implement against Liverpool, and at this point of the season with their first title in a decade within reach, they will be hopeful of getting a crucial three points in their last home game of the season. As for Liverpool, it will be about playing with freedom knowing their place in the WSL next season is guaranteed.

Tottenham Hotspur vs London City Lionesses

Sunday 3 May, BetWright Stadium, 12pm

In a mid-table clash this Sunday lunchtime, Tottenham Hotspur take on London City Lionesses with the main motivation for these two sides being to try and finish in fifth place, which is currently held by Spurs heading into the game this weekend.

For the final time this season, Tottenham play at home and overall, they have had the fifth-best record when it comes to playing with home advantage across this season’s campaign. However, their last three home games in the league have seen them fail to register a victory, with the 2-1 win over bottom of the table Leicester City back in January being the last recorded home win for Martin Ho’s side. Victory will mean that they go into double figures for wins this season, and also eclipse their previous best WSL points finish total of 32 points from the 2021/22 campaign.

Looking at London City Lionesses’ away record this season, they are seventh in terms the most points gained. Their last victory away from home was against Brighton in February, and it also happened to be the last victory under Eder Maestre in the Barclays WSL before last weekend when they beat Leicester City by five goals to one. It was an emphatic display from London City in producing their highest goal tally in a single league match this season, and it also showcased how they have been able to rely on players across the squad to come up with goals for them as five different players were on the scoresheet last Sunday.

One of those players was Freya Godfrey, whose been one the players in the league this season who has had a huge breakout campaign. The previous fixture against Tottenham was where she announced herself in the WSL with her first two goals, and since then she’s been influential at times for her club. Her five goals and four assists that she has registered in 16 Barclays WSL appearances, make her one of the only players in Europe under the age of 21 that has been able to achieve that level of output this season.

As for Tottenham Hotspur, other than the goals from Bethany England as their top scorer in the league with seven, this season has seen Danish midfielder Olivia Holdt have a breakout campaign and highlight herself as a pivotal player in what has been one of Tottenham’s best campaigns as a club in the Barclays Women’s Super League. Her six goals and three assists have her just outside the top 10 in overall goal contributions, and she is sure to be influential again this weekend for Martin Ho’s team.

Earlier this season when these two teams faced off in the league, they played out one of the most entertaining games of the season for goals, and it was London City who were the victors, with two Freya Godfrey goals and one for Nikita Parris along with an own goal by Amanda Nílden gave them a 4-2 win in November. They also faced off in the Women’s FA Cup, which also had its fair share of entertainment, and after ending 2-2 after extra-time, Tottenham won a dramatic penalty shootout 9-8 in the end.

This fixture this weekend has the makings of being another thoroughly entertaining matchup, given the quality of how both teams’ attacks stack up, and with both wanting to end their campaigns as strongly as they have managed to muster for most of the time these past few months, we could have an end-of-season classic play out.

Leicester City vs Chelsea

Sunday 3 May, King Power Stadium, 2:30pm

Heading into the penultimate fixture for both of these teams this season, it is a matchup this weekend between Leicester City and Chelsea that has very little still to play for, other than the away side looking to consolidate their place in the top three of the standings, as a win can confirm that Chelsea can finish no lower than third place this season.

Leicester City head into this game on Sunday knowing that they will have to contest the relegation play-off at the end of the season, after they were emphatically beaten 7-0 in the midweek tie against Arsenal. The defeat was the latest one for Rick Passmoor’s side, taking their losing run to ten games in a row in all competitions.

In their last league fixture, Chelsea were victorious against Everton in a game that ended 4-1 as Sam Kerr scored twice, plus Ellie Carpenter and Erin Cuthbert also got on the scoresheet in a dominant display that saw them put up 27 shots and 56 touches in the Everton penalty area. It happened to be the best presence that any team registered last weekend in the Barclays WSL.

That sort of impact is sure to be expected once again away to the team in the league with the lowest average possession this season in the league (37.2%). By comparison, Chelsea have been the team with the highest ball possession average with 59.7%, making the task for Leicester City this weekend a rather challenging one for them to have to get through.

Eyes will also be on how Chelsea’s Australian forward Sam Kerr performs, where a goal for her this weekend will take her above Fran Kirby as Chelsea’s all-time top scorer in the Barclays Women’s League, with 63 goals being her current tally following the two goals she scored last weekend.

Chelsea have a comfortable winning record over Leicester City over the years, with each of their previous league meetings all ending in a victory, except for the clash in December 2024, where Leicester City held them to a 1-1 draw that they had been leading in for the most part before Wieke Kaptein’s equaliser. It was one of the games where Chelsea dropped points in their incredible unbeaten 2024/25 campaign.

When the two teams met earlier in the season all the way back in September, Leicester City did make it a closely fought game against the reigning league champions, even if they did lose 1-0 after Aggie Beever-Jones’s early goal separated the two sides. Defensively, the Foxes are going to have a strong foundation if they are to grab anything against Sonia Bompastor’s side. Ashleigh Neville will be influential on that front, as she is ranked the highest for defensive contributions per 90 minutes with 12.8, specifically averaging 5.5 tackles per 90, and also managing 27 interceptions this season.

For Leicester City it is now about preparing for the end-of-season relegation play-off against whoever finishes as the third-placed team in the Barclays WSL2 this weekend, but for Chelsea, it is a chance to ensure they can play with freedom on the final day knowing that they will be assured of their place in the top three if they get their 14th win of the season

Aston Villa vs West Ham United

Monday 4 May, Villa Park, 1pm

At the lower end of the table, and also on Early May Bank Holiday this Monday is Aston Villa against West Ham United, with both teams aiming to end their campaigns on a high as neither team has anything to contest for now in their remaining fixtures.

Natalia Arroyo’s Aston Villa have not a played a fixture since before the international break over a month ago when they were defeated 4-3 in a seven-goal thriller that saw six goals in the first 35 minutes. Any incentive for them from now until the end of the season will be to replicate a similar end to last season when they were winners in their final five games. They can’t match it exactly this time around, but will still look to end the campaign strongly and find some momentum heading into next season.

West Ham United meanwhile can be more relaxed after a crucial 1-0 win last weekend against Liverpool assisted them in being able to avoid finishing bottom of the table. An own goal and some resolute defending across the 90 minutes at St Helens Stadium helped them to get over the line. Estelle Cascarino starred for them in that game in winning the Player of the match award, and since joining the club in January, she has registered 2.5 tackles per game, as well as an average of 6.4 balls recovered and 3.5 clearances per game.

Other than the game against Arsenal when they were beaten 5-0 by Arsenal in March, they have improved a lot on the defensive side of things. Since Rita Guarino took charge at the start of the year, they have conceded 17 goals in the Barclays WSL, which is a drop on the 24 they had conceded in the first half of this season.

Only Leicester City have conceded more goals across the whole of this season than both Aston Villa and West Ham, with both teams having conceded 41 each. Comparing them elsewhere defensively, West Ham have the better of Aston Villa in interceptions, tackles, and saves per game. Aston Villa do have a higher number of clean sheets than West Ham this season though (6), and also rank close in terms of clearances per game (27.8).

When it comes to the attacking side of things however between these teams, Aston Villa have been considerably better with an average of 1.4 goals per game to West Ham’s 0.9, and Villa’s big chances per game average is 2.2 compared with West Ham’s 1.0. At the forefront of Aston Villa’s attack this season has been Kirsty Hanson with her 12 goals in the league being only bettered by Khadija Shaw’s 19 goals. They’ve also had Lynn Wilms’ creativity that has been key, especially in their last game when she registered a hat-trick of assists to take her level with Kerstin Casparij for the most assists (7).

Earlier in the season, both Wilms and Hanson were the scorers when Villa won 2-0 at the Chigwell Construction Stadium against West Ham. They have also been successful in going unbeaten in seven games in all competitions against West Ham, with the last win by the Hammers against Villa coming back in October 2022.

It’s all about ending the season with winning momentum for these two clubs, and with how things have looked statistically for them both, this game could be an open encounter where key attacking players will be crucial, as well as some performances from a defensive standpoint to make sure a positive result is achieved.

Word credit: Bradley Morris