International football is done for another month, and the Barclays Women's Super League (BWSL) returns this weekend with gameweek six.
Just one fixture takes place today, as the Emirates Stadium hosts Arsenal against Birmingham City in a 12.45pm kick-off, with both sides desperate for three points. The other six fixtures follow tomorrow.
Arsenal vs Birmingham City
Saturday 17 October, Emirates Stadium, 12.45pm
Both teams find themselves in the bottom half of the table after five games, with Arsenal 10th and Birmingham City 13th.
Arsenal's season hasn't gone the way they would have liked. Renée Slegers' side have won just once, drawing two and losing two, and were beaten 4-2 by league leaders Manchester City before the international break. They'll want to end a four-game winless run in the BWSL, their joint-longest in the competition since October 2023.
Birmingham City are also searching for a win, having yet to taste victory in the league this season, with two draws and three defeats. But Amy Merricks' side have shown they can cause problems, and have scored more BWSL goals so far than their opponents.
Wingers to watch
Both sides have relied on their wingers for key moments. Lisa Baum, one of Arsenal's scorers against Manchester City, has two goals in her debut campaign.
For Birmingham, Océane Hurtré has enjoyed a fantastic start. The French forward is one of three joint top scorers in the league, won the September BWSL Player of the Month award, and marked her first senior start for France with a goal and an assist.
Head to head
This has the makings of an interesting fixture. Past meetings have often produced big scorelines in Arsenal's favour, and Birmingham have beaten Arsenal only twice in the BWSL, most recently in January 2022.
Coming up on Sunday
|
Fixture |
Venue |
Kick-off |
|---|---|---|
|
Chelsea vs Tottenham Hotspur |
Stamford Bridge |
12pm |
|
Crystal Palace vs West Ham United |
Borough Sports Ground |
12pm |
|
Aston Villa vs Liverpool |
Keys Park |
2pm |
|
Charlton Athletic vs Manchester United |
The Valley |
2pm |
|
London City Lionesses vs Everton |
Copperjax Community Stadium |
2pm |
|
Manchester City vs Brighton & Hove Albion |
Joie Stadium |
2.30pm |
Playing Fantasy? Leg 2 starts today, and the deadline is 12.45pm, the same time as kick-off.
Follow every goal live: Catch all the action as it happens, and every goal as it goes in, with our Matchday Live blog, available on the WSL Football website and app.
