Blues Women travel to a ground they have never played at before, Goodison Park, on Wednesday night as they begin their Subway Players Cup campaign against Everton.
### **Match preview**
Blues are coming off a 2-0 defeat to Chelsea on Saturday. Lexi Potter and a first Chelsea goal for Melvine Malard gave Chelsea the win, but there were plenty of positives to take from the game, especially from the second-half performance.
On another day, we probably come away with one or two goals, but now we turn our attention to the new-look Subway Players Cup, with Blues looking to pick up their first win of the season.
One interesting decision will be who Amy picks in goal on Wednesday night. I think Amy may rest Sophie Baggaley, who has been in sensational form since her return to the club.
Amy also has Lucy Thomas, who was brilliant for us last season, or she could hand Katie Startup her debut in a Blues shirt.
For Everton and Head Coach Scott Phelan, it is back-to-back wins, with their latest victory coming away to West Ham United. They had to wait until the 94th minute, when a Yuka Momiki free-kick secured all three points for the Toffees and moved them up to fifth place in the WSL table.
It has been a mixed start for Scott’s side. They lost on the opening day of the season to newly promoted Crystal Palace before winning their first home game of the campaign against another newly promoted side, Charlton, 1-0.
They then picked up their first away win of the season by beating West Ham United. Scott will be happy not only with the two victories but also with the back-to-back clean sheets.
I think it will be a tight affair on Wednesday night, and the first goal could be key to the outcome of the match.
Let’s hope it’s a Blues win!
### Players to look out for
Here are my three Everton players to look out for on Wednesday night.
1\. Rosa van Gool
My first player is Rosa van Gool, who Everton brought in from Dutch giants Ajax.
She is a player who has everything on her day. She can play a great through ball and also has an excellent shot on her, so Blues will have to be aware of the threat she can pose.
2\. Honoka Hayashi
My second player is another midfielder, Japan international Honoka Hayashi, who signed for Everton in July 2024.
She joined the Toffees after a two-year spell with West Ham United, where she made 50 appearances.
Like Rosa, she is a player who always has that bit of quality about her, and we will need to be aware of her throughout the game.
3\. Inma Gabarro
My third player is talented Spanish midfielder Inma Gabarro.
Gabarro has enjoyed an impressive start to her international career. She helped Spain win the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica in 2022, finishing the tournament as the Golden Boot winner.
Venue and kick-off time
Venue: Goodison Park
Date: Wednesday, 23 September 2026
Kick-off: 19:00
How the Subway Players Cup works
Who takes part?
Every BWSL and BWSL2 side takes part, with 23 clubs involved in total.
Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea are the only absentees while they are away on UEFA Women’s Champions League duty.
The league phase
For the first time, the Subway Players Cup will operate as a single league phase.
Every club plays six league games between September and December.
One combined table
Just like the men’s Champions League, the BWSL and BWSL2 clubs sit in one combined table.
Who progresses?
The top eight clubs at the end of the league phase progress to the quarter-finals.
The knockout rounds
The quarter-finals take place in January, followed by the semi-finals in February, with four clubs competing across two ties.
The final
The final will take place in March 2027.