Chelsea Back in Action This Weekend
Following an action-packed opening weekend in the WSL, attention has already shifted to the next round of fixtures. Chelsea, Manchester United, Brighton, and Tottenham were among the teams to kick off their campaigns with a win, while Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, and Leicester City had to settle for a point each. On the other hand, West Ham, Everton, Aston Villa, and Crystal Palace will all hope to turn around their fortunes next time out following their opening day defeats.
The 2024/25 season is well and truly up and running with Sonia Bompastor’s Chelsea back in action on Friday night against newly promoted Palace. Manchester United’s visit to Everton, as well as Brighton’s trip to Manchester City, make up some of the remaining fixtures.
Here’s how 90min projects Gameweek 2 in the WSL to unfold:
Chelsea vs Crystal Palace
Chelsea didn’t necessarily look comfortable against Villa last time out, as they edged a nervy 1-0 win at Kingsmeadow. Robert de Pauw’s side could have scored right at the death to level the scores, so it was hardly the free-flowing, goalscoring Blues we’re so accustomed to.
That being said, Palace were comfortably beaten in their opening game against Tottenham last week. A visit from Chelsea is probably not what Laura Kaminski’s side needs to get their campaign up and running.
It’s hard to see anything other than a comfortable win for Chelsea on Friday night. They will click into gear at some point, and a matchup against a newly promoted team is the ideal time to do so.
Manchester City vs Brighton
Gareth Taylor’s Manchester City side avoided an opening day defeat to Arsenal last weekend as they secured a 2-2 draw at the Emirates. Given the Gunners emerged victorious in both meetings between the two teams last season, it was a fair result for the Cityzens.
However, Brighton’s opening day heroics against Everton, in which they secured a comfortable 4-0 win, makes them a stern test for City this weekend. Dario Vidosic’s side completed some fantastic summer transfer business, including the signings of Nikita Parris and Fran Kirby, and they have rightfully been tipped as a surprise package this season.
The Seagulls have a significant goal threat, so it’s hard to see them not scoring, but City should have enough to see this one through and secure all three points.
Everton vs Manchester United
It’s fair to say it’s been a challenging start to the new season for Everton and Brian Sorensen. Not only did they succumb to a 4-0 loss at the hands of Brighton in their opening game, they also lost midfielder Aurora Galli to an ACL injury in the latter stages of that fixture.
With injuries already mounting, as Melissa Lawley, Emily Ramsey, and Karen Holmgaard are also sidelined, they face an even tougher task against Manchester United next time out. While the Red Devils failed to find consistency at times last season, they started the new campaign in impressive fashion with a 3-0 triumph over West Ham.
Given Everton’s early struggles, this should be a straightforward win for United.
West Ham vs Liverpool
West Ham faced a difficult afternoon last time out against United at Old Trafford, but this time around they host Liverpool at home. The Reds were the surprise package last season as they secured a top four finish, but Matt Beard will be disappointed with his side’s 1-1 draw against Leicester City in their opening game of the new season.
If the Hammers are to avoid finding themselves in a relegation battle so many are predicting, Rehanne Skinner will need her side to win, or at the very least pick up points, in these fixtures this term. It’s a tough but much-needed early test for the London club.
It will likely be a tight, fiercely contested game on Sunday, but Liverpool should have just enough to get over the line.
Leicester City vs Arsenal
Both Leicester City and Arsenal were held to score draws in their respective matchday one games last weekend. It’s still unclear how competitive the Foxes will be this season under new manager Amandine, but picking up points against Arsenal so early on may be too tall an order.
Although they looked slightly vulnerable defensively at times against City, Jonas Eidevall has so much attacking talent at his disposal it’s hard not to see them dismantling teams likely to finish in the bottom half of the table.
The Foxes may score, but Arsenal will take their chances and secure a comfortable win in the end.
Aston Villa vs Tottenham Hotspur
Although not a matchup between two top teams, this is arguably the game of the weekend. It’s also the most difficult to predict.
Villa caused Chelsea all sorts of problems on the opening day, despite ultimately falling to a narrow 1-0 loss. Tottenham, on the other hand, cruised to a victory against Palace in their opening game. De Pauw and Robert Vilahamn will back their teams to challenge for top five this season, and with little to separate these two so early on, the points will likely be shared at Villa Park this weekend.