The Women’s Super League is set for an exciting new season, with significant changes during the off-season adding to the anticipation.
Sonia Bompastor had a dream debut at Chelsea, clinching the title in her first year. The question now is whether she can replicate that success. Manchester City, under new leadership, and Champions League winners Arsenal are eager to challenge Chelsea’s dominance.
Chelsea will face Manchester City at Stamford Bridge in a highly anticipated match on Friday. Last season, City experienced their lowest points-per-game rate since 2014. With Andree Jeglertz now at the helm, they aim to challenge Chelsea, who remained unbeaten last season. Historically, Chelsea has dominated these encounters, winning six of their last seven home games against City.
Arsenal will host the newly promoted London City Lionesses on Saturday. This marks a historic moment for the Lionesses as they become the 20th team to compete in the WSL. However, debuting teams have struggled historically, and Arsenal are strong favourites with an 88.9% chance of victory. Arsenal’s impressive record against newly promoted teams adds to their confidence.
Manchester United aims to begin their campaign with a win over Leicester City on Sunday. United’s chances of victory stand at 80.1%, while Leicester’s prospects are slim at 7.7%. United has never lost to Leicester in eight WSL meetings and boasts one of the best defences from last season. Leicester faces challenges after losing manager Amandine Miquel in August.
Liverpool will take on Everton in a Merseyside derby on Sunday as well. Gareth Taylor leads Liverpool for the first time against Everton, having won eight of his nine previous encounters with them in the WSL. Despite Liverpool’s recent struggles against Everton, they have a 50.2% chance of winning according to simulations.
Tottenham vs West Ham: A Fresh Beginning
Tottenham seeks redemption after finishing 11th last season as they face West Ham in a London derby on Sunday. Spurs have won three of their last four season openers and aim for another strong start under Martin Ho’s leadership. West Ham hopes to secure back-to-back wins against Spurs for the first time after their March victory.
Brighton begins their campaign against Aston Villa following their best WSL season yet, finishing fifth last year. Brighton is favoured with a 43.1% chance of winning despite struggling at home towards the end of last season. Villa finished strongly last year and aims to continue their momentum into this season.
As the Women’s Super League kicks off, fans can expect thrilling matches and intense competition among top teams vying for supremacy this season.