There are six Women’s Super League clashes to look forward to this weekend with all 12 clubs set to be in action over March 7 and 8.
Six Women’s Super League Games Coming Up
Manchester United Looking to Recover From Back-to-Back Defeats in First of Six Women’s Super League Games
The action gets underway at Leigh Sports Village when Manchester United host Aston Villa at midday.
Casey Stoney’s side have seen their title aspirations take a massive hit in recent weeks following back-to-back defeats to Reading and Manchester City.
The focus is now on securing a top-three finish which will ensure qualification for next season’s Champions League, as the Red Devils welcome relegation-threatened Aston Villa to the north-west.
Villa were beaten 4-0 by Arsenal last time out despite keeping the Gunners at bay for almost an hour at the Banks’s Stadium.
That result leaves them tenth and in the thick of a relegation scrap after picking up ten points from 13 FAWSL games to date – four ahead of Bristol City at the bottom, albeit with a game in hand.
Birmingham City Take on Arsenal
Birmingham City host Arsenal at St George’s Park in one of three 2pm kick-offs on March 7.
The Blues are winless in their last five FAWSL games and were on the receiving end of a 4-0 defeat to Manchester City last time out.
Carla Ward’s side sit ninth in a very congested bottom half of the table with 11 points from their 12 games to date, and will not want that five-point gap between themselves and Bristol City to decrease any further.
For Arsenal, the focus is on closing the current six-point gap between themselves and Manchester United in their bid to chase down third place and Champions League qualification for next season.
The Gunners’ 4-0 win over Aston Villa last time out followed back-to-back defeats to Manchester City and Chelsea, and will be eager to continue that winning momentum in Staffordshire.
Brighton & Hove Albion Looking to Continue Upturn in Form Against Tottenham Hotspur
Brighton & Hove Albion welcome Tottenham Hotspur to the People’s Pension Stadium in Crawley, looking to continue their rise up the FAWSL table.
Hope Powell’s team recorded back-to-back FAWSL victories for the first time after beating West Ham United 1-0 last time out, which followed an incredible 2-1 win away at title-chasing Chelsea.
Meanwhile, for Spurs, the bubble has seemingly burst following Rehanne Skinner’s appointment as head coach, after suffering three straight defeats, and were most recently edged out 3-2 by Everton in an entertaining clash at The Hive.
A win for Brighton would move them 12 points clear of Bristol City at the bottom, while a victory for Spurs would see them move level on points with the Seagulls along with the added advantage of two games in hand over Powell’s side.
Manchester City Host Everton at the Academy Stadium
Manchester City host Everton at the Academy Stadium, and will be looking to continue their superb recent form which has seen them win their last 12 games in all competitions.
That run includes eight consecutive wins in the FAWSL and leaves them just two points adrift of table-topping Chelsea with 36 points from 15 games.
Gareth Taylor’s side were in midweek Champions League action after recording a 3-0 last-16 first-leg victory over Fiorentina, which followed on from a 4-0 FAWSL win away at Birmingham.
Meanwhile, Everton recovered from an indifferent run of form with a dramatic 3-2 win over Tottenham, thanks to Manchester City loanee Jill Scott’s winner just past the hour mark.
That result leaves the Toffees sitting comfortably in fifth place, but the ten-point gap between themselves and Manchester United in third means that Champions League qualification looks out of reach.
West Ham United Face Chelsea in a London Derby
West Ham United face Chelsea in a London derby at the Chigwell Construction Stadium as they look to arrest a worrying slide in form that leaves them 11th and only two points clear of bottom club Bristol City.
The Hammers have been beaten three times in their last four games and were edged out 1-0 by Brighton last time out on February 10.
Chelsea have made a perfect response to a shock 2-1 defeat to Brighton by winning three consecutive games in all competitions without conceding a goal.
They were in Champions League last-16 action in midweek and recorded a 2-0 first-leg win over Atletico Madrid, which followed 3-0 and 5-0 Barclays FAWSL victories over Arsenal and Bristol City respectively.
But only another win for the Blues will guarantee top spot, with Manchester City hot on their heels.
Bristol City in Action Against Reading
Bristol City continue their survival challenge when they welcome Reading to Twerton Park on March 8.
The Vixens’ brief upturn in form came to an emphatic end when they lost 5-0 to Chelsea last time out, which ended a run of three games without a defeat that included a Continental League Cup semi-final win over Leicester City.
Matt Beard’s side are currently two points adrift of safety with six points from their 14 FAWSL games to date and will be targeting just a second league victory of the season which could be enough to lift them off bottom spot, if Chelsea also manage to beat West Ham.
In contrast, Reading are sitting comfortably in mid-table with 19 points from 15 games, leaving Kelly Chambers’ side in sixth place.
The Royals are unbeaten in their last four FAWSL games with three of those ending in draws, most recently sharing the points in a 1-1 stalemate with Everton on February 14.
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