Sunday brings five Barclays WSL fixtures and the return of the Barclays WSL2 after a fortnight's break, with four unbeaten teams going head to head. It all builds to the Manchester derby at 6pm, as league leaders Manchester City visit Manchester United.
Follow every goal across both leagues on Matchday Live.
Crystal Palace vs Chelsea
Barclays WSL | 12pm, Borough Sports Ground
Eleventh-placed Crystal Palace host second-placed Chelsea, who are unbeaten this season with five wins and a draw.
Jo Potter's side have one win, three draws and two defeats. They were the only team not to score in last weekend's Barclays WSL fixtures as they lost to West Ham United, and they also lost 3-2 at BWSL2 side Southampton in the Subway Players Cup in midweek.
Chelsea, meanwhile, put six past Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge last time out. Lauren James, Ellie Carpenter, Keira Walsh and Alyssa Thompson each had at least two goal involvements, the first time four players have done that in a Barclays WSL game since May 2023. Lexi Potter could also feature against the club where she has had two loan spells.
That game was Sonia Bompastor's 50th in the Barclays WSL, and a win today would be her 40th. Chelsea have won all five of their recent meetings with Palace in all competitions without conceding, so expect them to dominate possession, with Palace looking to hit on the counter.
Watford vs Durham
Barclays WSL2 | 12pm, Vicarage Road
The Barclays WSL2 returns with a game at the wrong end of the table, between two sides still waiting for their first win of the season.
Promoted Watford ended a run of back-to-back defeats with a draw at Wolverhampton Wanderers last time out, their third draw of the season. Renee Hector's side are still looking for a first-ever win at this level, and a first competitive win since April.
They face a Durham side who are bottom without a point after five defeats from five, including a 3-0 home loss to Newcastle United, their first-ever defeat to their north-east rivals.
Can either side get a win on the board, or will the wait go on?
Birmingham City vs Charlton Athletic
Barclays WSL | 2pm, St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park
Two promoted sides meet for the first time this season, with Birmingham 13th and Charlton 14th. A win for either would be their first of the league season.
Birmingham earned a point at Arsenal last weekend and have three draws so far, two of them at St Andrew's, so avoiding defeat today would keep them unbeaten at home. Charlton lost to Manchester United, making it six defeats from six for Karen Hills' side. Both won in the Subway Players Cup in midweek: Birmingham beat Durham 5-0, and Charlton won 2-0 at home to Bristol City.
Océane Hurtré has been Birmingham's spark, with six goals, twice as many as Charlton have scored all season. But Charlton have had the better of past meetings, and they'll want revenge for last season's winner-takes-all final day, when Birmingham pipped them to the Barclays WSL2 title.
Everton vs Aston Villa
Barclays WSL | 2pm, Goodison Park
Everton are unbeaten at Goodison Park this season and chasing a third home win. Aston Villa have found some momentum under interim head coach Brian Sorensen, who faces his old club for the first time since leaving them last season.
Scott Phelan's Everton have three wins from six. They haven't led many attacking metrics, but only Chelsea have conceded fewer goals, and their xG conceded average is lower than three-quarters of the league. They lost at London City Lionesses last weekend, while Villa beat Liverpool 2-1 for their first league win of the season. Both sides won 2-0 in the Subway Players Cup on Wednesday.
Everton are unbeaten in the last four meetings, including a late Martina Fernandez winner in February. Villa are chasing back-to-back league wins for the first time since May 2025 and will look to Chasity Grant, who opened her Barclays WSL account last week. Goalkeeper Akane Okuma has made more saves than anyone this season (38), and her assist made her the first keeper to register one in the Barclays WSL since Zećira Mušović for Chelsea in March 2022.
Liverpool vs London City Lionesses
Barclays WSL | 2pm, St Helens Stadium
Gareth Taylor's Liverpool are looking for a response after back-to-back league defeats and a Subway Players Cup loss to Manchester United. They've lost three of their last four after a win and a draw in their opening two games, and have now dropped six points from winning positions this season.
They are creating chances, though. Their 23 shots against Aston Villa were their most since May 2025, with six on target. Defender Grace Fisk has been a standout despite last weekend's own goal: no defender has made more recoveries (42), and she has won over 90% of her ground and aerial duels.
She'll be busy against Eder Maestre's London City, who have won seven in a row in all competitions for the first time in their history, most recently 2-1 against West Ham United in the Subway Players Cup. They've scored twice or more in the first half of each of their last two league games, and Daniëlle van de Donk has three goals and three assists. Her xG of 4.1 is second only to Manchester City's Khadija Shaw (7.1).
Both sides like to press high, but recent meetings have been tight: 0-0 in January, and 1-0 to London City in October 2025, thanks to an 89th-minute Elena Linari penalty.
Nottingham Forest vs Newcastle United
Barclays WSL2 | 2pm, The City Ground
Leaders Newcastle face their biggest test yet against fellow unbeaten side Nottingham Forest.
The Magpies made it five wins from five with a 3-0 win at Durham, their first-ever win over their local rivals. Martha Thomas scored her fifth goal of the season and Jordan Knobbs got her first.
Tom Mallinson's Forest have three draws in their five games, so they already trail Newcastle by six points. But Tuva Espas' brace against Burnley last time out gave them their second win, and taking points off the runaway leaders would send a message to the rest of the Barclays WSL2.
Ipswich Town vs Sunderland
Barclays WSL2 | 2pm, JobServe Community Stadium
Neither side has lost this season, so something has to give. Outside Newcastle, it's a meeting between the division's top scorers and its meanest defence, with both chasing the Magpies at the top.
Ipswich come in on a run of three straight wins, including a 2-1 win at Sheffield United last time out. Sunderland's only dropped points came in a draw with Southampton, and they beat Leicester City 3-1 in their last game, with Elise Hughes scoring her fourth goal in five games.
Both will want to keep their unbeaten records and show they're the leaders' main rivals this season.
Burnley vs Sheffield United
Barclays WSL2 | 2pm, County Ground
Promoted Burnley are still waiting for their first win. After a clean sheet against Bristol City, they lost at Nottingham Forest last time out and have scored only one goal all season. Two clean sheets show the defensive base is there for Jackie Bachteler's side.
Sheffield United sit two places and one point above them, with one win from five, a 4-1 victory over Durham at the end of September. They then lost 2-1 at home to Ipswich, but given Burnley's start, United will fancy their chances in Lancashire.
Bristol City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
Barclays WSL2 | 2pm, Ashton Gate
Two sides with very different ambitions are level on points in mid-table after five games, and both can be happy with their starts.
Bristol City are aiming for promotion and have recovered from losing their opening two games. Their biggest win of the season came against Southampton last time out, including a rare goal from veteran defender Sophie Ingle.
Wolves, promoted to this level for the first time, are punching above their weight, with wins over Sheffield United and Burnley. Amber Hughes is one of the league's most in-form players, and they're second for shots on target per game, so a trip to Ashton Gate shouldn't daunt them.
Leicester City vs Southampton
Barclays WSL2 | 5pm, King Power Stadium
Relegated last season after five seasons in the Barclays WSL, Leicester were expected to challenge for an immediate return. Instead, they're eighth after three straight defeats, the latest a 3-1 loss to Sunderland.
Rick Passmoor's side host a Southampton team without a league win since the opening day, with three draws and a defeat to Bristol City since. The Saints did beat Crystal Palace 3-2 in the Subway Players Cup in midweek, and they remain one of the league's steeliest defences, so Leicester will need to find a way through.
Manchester United vs Manchester City
Barclays WSL | 6pm, Progress with Unity Stadium
Sunday finishes with the Manchester derby, and both sides arrive on winning runs.
Manchester United have won three in a row in the league and sit fifth on 10 points. Eva Olid's side are also top of the Subway Players Cup table after a third straight win in midweek, but this is a big test of their progress.
Andrée Jeglertz's Manchester City lead the league with six wins from six and 19 goals. The last time they won all of their opening league games was 2016, the year they won their first Barclays WSL title, before last season's success. Khadija Shaw has seven of those goals, and she has scored four times against United in her previous five seasons at City.
For United, summer signing Andrea Medina is top scorer with two goals. Ella Toone, who scored her first of the season last weekend, hit a hat-trick in this fixture in January 2025, when United won 4-2. Apart from a Women's FA Cup win that same year, United are without a win in the last three derbies, and City won both league meetings 3-0 last season.
Follow every goal on Matchday Live, from the 12pm kick-offs to the final whistle in the Manchester derby.
