A third clash in eight days between Manchester City and Chelsea while this weekend also features a London derby and crunch games at the foot of the WSL table
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Erin Cuthbert and Millie Bright with the Subway Women's League Cup trophy
DERBY, ENGLAND - MARCH 15: Erin Cuthbert and Millie Bright of Chelsea celebrate with the trophy following their team's victory in the Subway Women's League Cup Final match between Chelsea and Manchester City at Pride Park on March 15, 2025 in Derby, England. (Photo by Harriet Lander - Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
Manchester City and Chelsea’s third clash in eight days provides a tantalising tactical conundrum for both sides as they meet in the Barclay’s Women’s Super League this weekend.
Elsewhere, Arsenal welcome a resurgent Liverpool to the Emirates Stadium with hopes of avenging their FA Cup defeat just two weeks ago.
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Crystal Palace will hope to sustain their winning form against Everton to boost their hopes of avoiding relegation, while Aston Villa face a tough test against Manchester United as they bid to salvage their season.
Manchester CityChelsea
The Etihad Stadium will play host to another clash of the titans in the latest chapter in this marathon of matches between City and Chelsea. Nick Cushing’s side enjoyed home advantage on Wednesday as they put an end to Sonia Bompastor’s unbeaten start to life at Chelsea with 2-0 victory in the first leg of their UEFA Women’s Champions League tie.
READ MORE: WSL Review: Chelsea earn first trophy of the season as Crystal Palace pick up crucial winREAD MORE: Ian Wright and Arsenal boss slam Real Madrid 'disgrace' after Gunners suffer defeat
Half-time substitute Vivianne Miedema scored both goals against a Chelsea side who lacked the desire their opponents showed in abundance. But it was Chelsea who had taken the upper hand last Saturday, as they triumphed 2-1 in the League Cup final in Derby.
Manchester City find themselves more in need of the three points on Sunday as they currently sit four points of the Champions League spots in the league.
Chelsea, meanwhile, are four points clear at the top of the table but will hope to preserve a so far unbeaten season. With a further match still to be played between the two next Thursday, the fixture will test both sides’ tactical nous as they set about looking to unlock a differential they have yet to discover.
Chelsea beat Man City in last weekend's League Cup final
Chelsea beat Man City in last weekend's League Cup final
Arsenal vs Liverpool – Saturday, 5.30pm
Just one month ago, the prospects for this fixture would look very different, but with Arsenal out of form and Liverpool rejuvenated under Amber Whiteley, North London can look forward to an exciting clash.
Liverpool earned a shock 1-0 victory away at Arsenal’s Meadow Park in the FA Cup quarter-finals thanks to a late Daphne van Domselaar own goal. The Reds went on to earn their first-ever victory at Anfield against Manchester United last time out, with a confident 3-1 victory.
Arsenal celebrate their third against Everton
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - MARCH 14: Katie McCabe and Beth Mead of Arsenal celebrate their team's third goal scored by Alessia Russo during the Barclays Women's Super League match between Everton FC and Arsenal FC at Walton Hall Park on March 14, 2025 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Alex Burstow/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
It reflects a very different vein of form to an Arsenal side who find themselves 2-0 down following the first leg of the Champions League semi-final tie against Real Madrid.
The Gunners, however, have struggled to deal with adverse pitch conditions at both Meadow Park and the Estadio Alfredo di Stefano. They should find the Emirates Stadium far more suited to their playing style and will look to continue their strong league form having run out 3-1 winners against Everton last time out.
Aston Villa vs Manchester United – Sunday, 4.30pm
Aston Villa will feel a win is more important than ever after they lost to Crystal Palace last weekend, putting them at serious risk of relegation. The Villans now sit just one point above the drop zone after registering losses to Palace and Everton so far this month.
After last weekend’s 3-1 defeat in South London, Natalia Arroyo reflected: “We gave wings to them to believe they can stay in the league.”
It feels just as much a must-win match for the Manchester United as they look to bounce back from a 3-1 defeat at rivals Liverpool last Friday night.
United are bidding to secure Champions League football next season but will have to do it the hard way, with matches against the rest of the top four making up their final three games. Any cushion they can give themselves before then could be pivotal.
Marc Skinner's side will be hoping to picks up all three points
Marc Skinner's side will be hoping to picks up all three points
Everton vs Crystal Palace – Sunday, 2pm
Crystal Palace will hope that a new manager in the form of Leif Smerud and their win against Aston Villa can kickstart a great escape.
They meet an Everton side who have looked like a new outfit since the turn of the year, led by the threat of Kelly Gago, though they lost 3-1 to Arsenal last time out. Everton can feel fairly secure in mid-table but may be looking over their shoulder if they were to lose this weekend.
West HamTottenham
The Chigwell Construction Stadium can look forward to a London derby between two mid-table sides with just two points between them. Neither side have made enough of a charge this season to start challenging the established order in the league, though West Ham are in decent form.
They held Manchester City to a 1-1 draw last time out in the league and will hope they can replicate such a display to take three points from their London rivals.
LeicesterBrighton
Brighton & Hove Albion had made the best bid to be the ‘best of the rest’ in the league this season, currently sitting in fifth. But a poor run of form has allowed Liverpool bridge the gap and the Reds now sit one point behind despite Brighton’s recent 1-0 triumph over Tottenham.
Leicester City’s recent 3-1 defeat to Chelsea was more concerning for the loss of Ruby Mace to injury and they now sit just three points clear of the drop following Palace’s win last weekend. A good result here is crucial to settle any East Midlands nerves.