All the action in the Barclays Women’s Super League continues this upcoming weekend, with one fixture on Saturday kicking off at 12:45pm as Everton face Manchester United.
The rest of the games take place on Sunday, and headlining the busy load of action is the match-up between third-place London City Lionesses and second-place Manchester City.
Unbeaten runs are still on the line and there are sure to be plenty of intriguing moments that will happen across the weekend, with teams looking to keep up their winning momentum, whilst also managing the work load of three games in the space of the last week.
Everton vs Manchester United
Saturday 31st October, Goodison Park, 12:45pm
So matchweek eight opens up with Everton facing Manchester United at Goodison Park in a fixture where the two sides are on contrasting runs of form, given Everton have lost three of their last five in the league, and Manchester United are unbeaten in their league games within that timeframe.
Both teams were winners against BWSL 2 opposition in the Subway Players Cup on Wednesday, with Everton beating Sheffield United 2-1, and Man Utd beating Burnley 3-0 at home.
Last time out, Everton were beaten by three goals to two at Goodison Park, with Scott Phelan’s side scoring twice in the later stages of the second half to set up a big finish, which ultimately didn’t turn into a full comeback. As for Manchester United they did score a late equaliser in drawing with their local rivals Manchester City, and it came from forward Elisabeth Terland for her second goal of the league campaign.
The defeat for Everton brought up back-to-back defeats for the Toffees in a season where they have so far managed three wins in total, but have now lost more overall, and they also go into this weekend’s fixture as the fourth-lowest scorers in the league. Defensively, they are still ranked in the top five for the fewest goals conceded (9), but have conceded seven of those in their last three league fixtures.
Last week’s result for Manchester United was a positive one that outlined how things have moved in a better direction for Eva Olid’s side since there first three games of the season when they went winless. League-wise, they are unbeaten in their last four games and are aiming to make it a fifth this weekend, which would be the first time they have achieved this kind of run in the Barclays WSL since they went nine unbeaten between December 2025 and March of this year.
In terms of previous meetings between Everton and Man Utd, it’s a fixture that has heavily gone in United’s favour as they have never lost against the Toffees in any competition. If Everton were to end their winless streak against Manchester United, it would boost their momentum once again, whereas a win for Man Utd would send charging up the table closer to the top three.
Arsenal vs Aston Villa
Sunday 1st November, Emirates Stadium, 12pm
Two teams coming off the back of wins in the Barclays WSL last weekend are Arsenal and Aston Villa, and they face off at the Emirates Stadium hoping to continue with some winning momentum.
Arsenal finally ended a five-game winless run in the league after beating North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the derby last Saturday, with Georgia Stanway and Alessia Russo scoring the goals to help them turn around the result after going behind in the game.
Russo was on electric form again in the UEFA Women's Champions League, scoring a hat-trick in their 3-0 win against Benfica to become the all-time leading English scorer in the competition with 23 goals.
Meanwhile, Aston Villa beat Everton after holding to a 3-2 scoreline in the end, and Amalie Vangsgaard was on the scoresheet twice after Noelle Maritz put them in front early on. They also drew on Wednesday against rivals Birmingham City, but did win the penalty shootout 6-5 to claim the extra point in that Subway Players Cup fixture.
Growing pressure was eased slightly on Arsenal with their much-needed victory, and it was the first time that Arsenal had overturned a deficit to win a league match since September 2025 when they won 5-1 against West Ham. The game also score more than one goal in a Barclays WSL game for just the second time this season.
Under interim coach Brian Sørensen, Aston Villa have turned their early-form around and right now find themselves on a run of results that they haven’t managed in terms of consecutive BWSL wins since towards the end of the 2024/25 season. Their attacking output has also improved as of late, having scored two-thirds of their league goals overall so far in their previous three fixtures. Their xG though does still remain as the second-lowest in the league (5.6).
Previous encounters between Arsenal and Aston Villa have been interesting to watch, even with Arsenal having the better winning record whenever they have met. Renée Slegers side did beat Villa 3-0 when they last played each other, but being under a different coach and on form may inspire Aston Villa to try and achieve a first away win against the Gunners since May 2023.
London City Lionesses vs Manchester City
Sunday 1st November, Copperjax Community Stadium, 12pm
Arguably one of the stand-out fixtures happening across this weekend, London City Lionesses host Manchester City at the Copperjax Community Stadium, with both looking to return to winning ways after they both drew in their respective fixtures last weekend.
A late equaliser was conceded against Liverpool, which meant that Eder Maestre’s London City dropped points in the Barclays WSL since losing to West Ham back in week two of the season, but respodnded with a midweek 4-2 victory against Crystal Palace in the Subway Players Cup.
Manchester City on the other hand, ended up losing their 100% winning record to begin their campaign after drawing away from home against Manchester United, and then on Thursday, drew with Paris Saint-Germain for their third draw of their league phase campaign in the UEFA Women's Champions League.
For the majority of this season, these have been two of the teams that have been among the best performers. Both teams are currently in the top three, and are highly-ranked in terms of goals, with Man City on 20 and London City on 19. When it comes to conceding goals though, London City (8) edge Man City (9) by one.
These two sides have established strong attacking displays so far this season, with Man City forward Khadija Shaw leading the way in the top scorer’s charts with eight goals, and as a whole, the team are averaging 2.9 goals per match.
As for London City Lionesses, all eyes have been on the trio of Daniëlle van de Donk, Kadidiatou Diani and Alexia Putellas with three goals each, but have all combined for a total of 17 goals + assists so far after seven league games. They have also spread the goals around the rest of the squad, with nine different players in total getting on the scoresheet in this Barclays WSL campaign.
It is sure to be a very exciting match-up between these two sides, and the home side will be seeing a first win against Manchester City as Andrée Jeglertz’s side beat them on both occasions last season. If either team was to win, it would send an early statement in terms of battling for the top spot.
Birmingham City vs Tottenham Hotspur
Sunday 1st November, St. Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park, 2pm
In the first of the 2pm kick-offs on Sunday afternoon, Birmingham City welcome Tottenham Hotspur to St. Andrew’s, and the home side are aiming to continue the positive run they now find themselves on, whilst Spurs look to restore some positivity of their own based off their current league form.
Last week’s 1-0 win over Charlton Athletic courtesy of a second-half goal from Wilma Leidhammar gave Birmingham City their first league victory of the season, and Amy Merricks’ side have avoided defeat in their last two league matches. They did salvage a point against Aston Villa in midweek cup action as well, so they are in good spirits ahead of a meeting against Martin Ho’s Tottenham Hotspur.
Spurs have a had a bit of a setback following an unbeaten start after four games, and while a 6-1 win against Bristol City in the Subway Players Cup was an improvement, it has been three straight league losses have hurt them in recent weeks. Last week’s North London derby defeat added to a losing run that only bottom of the table Charlton Athletic have eclipsed in the last month.
This weekend could be a big one for Spurs’ midfielder and captain Drew Spence, as she would become the Barclays WSL’s all-time record appearance maker with 217 games if she plays in Sunday’s match.
Océane Hurtré will once again be Birmingham City’s greatest attacking threat, but their defence will also be key up against one of the league’s highest scoring teams. They may need to be as resolute as they had been against Arsenal a couple of weeks ago, and this season overall has seen them be one of the sides that have had to be effective when it comes to defending their goal.
Birmingham City have faced the fourth-most shots (135) and fourth highest xG against average (15.65) out of everyone else in the league. Summer signing Marie Levassueur has made an impact as well and is currently ranked in the top five for most tackles (24).
The two teams last met in cup action over a year ago, which Spurs won 3-0, and when it comes to league meetings, they also have three wins and two draws against Birmingham City. The last BWSL match-up between them was back in 2022, so they square-up this time will be interesting to see.
Brighton and Hove Albion vs Crystal Palace
Sunday 1st November, Broadfield Stadium, 2pm
The rivalry of Brighton and Hove Albion and Crystal Palace plays out this Sunday afternoon, where both teams will be determined to try and claim an all-important victory for bragging rights reasons, as well as to climb up the Barclays WSL table.
Brighton are coming into this with a convincing win over West Ham last week and a 6-0 victory against Wolves in the Subway Players Cup. Crystal Palace however, have been on the end of two defeats in recent days to Chelsea last Sunday, and then London City Lionesses in the midweek.
Under Arturo Ruiz, Brighton have managed two wins in the Barclays WSL, and they have been working towards finding their identity under the Spanish coach, where signs have been evident week-by-week of the progress they have been making.
Japanese international Kiko Seike has been key to their attacking output just as much as she has been in previous seasons with the Seagulls based on her four goals so far thiss season, and Fran Kirby will also look to be involved in their chance creation as well.
Jo Potter’s Crystal Palace started off life back in the WSL with an opening weekend win over Everton, yet since then they have drawn twice and lost the rest of their league fixtures. In terms of goals, Lexi Lloyd-Smith remains their top scorer so far with two to her name, having had some good displays in her first top flight campaign. One player they will miss for this fixture is Fuka Tsunoda due to the Japanese midfielder being at the club on loan from Brighton, therefore restricting her from playing her parent club.
There have only ever been three meetings in the past between these teams, two of which were in Crystal Palace’s debut BWSL campaign two seasons ago. Brighton won the first encounter via a 1-0 victory, but both earned a point each when they drew the second encounter.
West Ham United vs Liverpool
Sunday 1st November, Victoria Road Stadium, 2pm
West Ham and Liverpool will face each other in Dagenham this weekend and it’s a match-up between two sides hoping to also rediscover some winning momentum, given that both have not registered many victories over the last month.
Lately, West Ham and Liverpool have only managed one victory each in their last five league matches, with the home side beaten by Brighton on the road last week, whilst Gareth’s Taylor’s Liverpool fought back at the end to salvage a late draw via an own goal against London City Lionesses.
A midweek cup win for Rita Guarino’s side will have boosted their morale following two goals in quick succession by Ffion Morgan that helped them beat Charlton Athletic. The Wales international has not featured much for the Hammers this season, with appearances on the bench happening after an early injury kept her out at the start of the campaign.
As for Liverpool, their run of four games in all competitions without a win has seen them drop down a couple of positions in the standings over these last few weeks. Defensive errors have proven costly in recent matches, but one player to watch for them in this one who has looked as positive as she often tends to is Fuka Nagano.
The Japanese midfielder has contributed well for the Reds on both the defensive and attacking side of their game, having registered 18 tackles and 45 recoveries, plus she has recorded two assists so far this season.
This fixture has usually been closely fought with neither team producing many high-scoring victories over the other. In the Barclays WSL alone, West Ham have won one of the last five league meetings against Liverpool, with Liverpool winning twice, and then two draws also occurring, one of which was in last season’s match-up in Dagenham.
Charlton Athletic vs Chelsea
Sunday 1st November, The Valley, 2:30pm
Bottom of the table Charlton Athletic who have been without a in all season so far will welcome the league leaders and fellow Londoners Chelsea to The Valley, with the away side currently unbeaten after seven league games and looking to make that eight in this Sunday’s 2:30pm kick-off.
Karen Hills’ side have had it tough to begin their first top flight campaign and also struggled in midweek to at least find a good result after losing 2-1 to West Ham United in the Subway Players Cup. They came close to drawing last week with Birmingham City in the BWSL, but a 68th-minute goal by their opponents left them with a seventh defeat as they sit at the foot of the league table in 14th.
Meanwhile, Chelsea have been in the kind of position that many would have expected, and after continuing their momentum by beating Roma 2-0 in the UEFA Women’s Champions League on Wednesday, their confidence is high as they aim to win their fifth consecutive game in all competitions.
After scoring twice last week against Charlton’s rivals Crystal Palace, Melvine Malard will be someone for Charlton’s defence to be mindful of, as will full-back Ellie Carpenter, who scored in Wednesday’s UWCL match and is likely to add more of the attacking impetus that Chelsea will have against Charlton, given that these are two teams who are on opposite sides of the average possession rankings.
Chelsea have registered the highest average of possession with 63.7%, whereas Charlton are the team with the lowest average on 26.2% - over 9% lower than the next lowest team in that stat (Crystal Palace - 35.8%).
Charlton’s defence will need to be at their best and they will have to hope for counter-attacking opportunities if they are to cause what would be a massive shock result this weekend if they were to get something from this. In the event of Chelsea winning, it will take their unbeaten run away from home in London derbies to 13 games.
