This weekend will bring the first Manchester derby of the season to television screens, with Manchester City Women making the short trip to Leigh Sports Village where they will face Manchester United Women.
Gareth Taylor's side's start to the season has been underwhelming by their standards, and their city rivals have already got a six-point gap between themselves and Man City.
Match preview
Marc Skinner's side bounced back after their heavy defeat against reigning champions Chelsea with a positive 2-0 win at St Andrew's against Birmingham City.
That encounter was a game of few chances, with only three shots on target being recorded between the two teams, but the visitors were efficient with their attacks, and Leah Galton along with Ella Toone scored the only two strikes Man United managed on target.
Skinner's team have now won both of their away fixtures so far this season, placing them fourth and three points behind leaders Arsenal at this early stage in the season.
Three points against rivals Manchester City on Saturday will give the United squad a huge boost in their quest to finish in the top three this campaign, and it could arguably be a good time to face Taylor's side.
Man City have struggled to secure victories during this period when they have been hit with many injuries to key players, but the 2-0 defeat against West Ham United last time out suggests that there may be deeper issues for Taylor.
The Hammers deserve credit for their performance and they deserved the three points last weekend, but City were still expected to have enough quality to win that game and they did have their chances in front of goal.
Man City dominated the ball and registered 20 shots but failed to get on the scoresheet for a second consecutive WSL game, meaning that their hopes of being crowned league champions in May are already fading away.
Last Sunday's game against West Ham was viewed as a must-win outing for Taylor's team, and dropping nine points behind Arsenal in the table makes Saturday's derby an even more important day for Man City.
The blue half of Manchester did come out triumphant the last time these two teams met in February, claiming an emphatic 3-0 win over Casey Stoney's side, but the game this time around is expected to follow a very different storyline with a lot of changes to each team since then.
- W
- W
- L
- W
- W
- L
- L
- L
- W
- L
- L
- W
- L
Team News
Despite Man United's heavy defeat against Chelsea, Skinner backed his players to bounce back against Birmingham, which they did so with only one change to the team - Kirsty Hanson being replaced by Alessia Russo.
The goals have been shared around the Red Devils camp, with seven different goalscorers already this season, but Toone has had the most goal involvements with three assists adding to her two goals.
Goalkeeper Mary Earps will be pleased to have kept a clean sheet against Birmingham after conceding six against Chelsea, and the back four including Hannah Blundell, Aoife Mannion, Maria Thorisdottir and Ona Batlle will remain the same this weekend.
After three consecutive WSL defeats for Man City, it is likely that Taylor will try to change things with potential new personnel in the lineup, but he is limited by the number of options he has at his disposal.
Khadija Shaw has not started in the league since the opening day when she netted her first goal for Man City, but she is in contention to start with Ellen White and Lauren Hemp in a front three.
Manchester United Women possible starting lineup:
Earps; Blundell, Mannion, Thorisdottir, Batlle; Groenen, Zelem; Galton, Staniforth, Hanson; Toone
Manchester City Women possible starting lineup:
Benameur; Stokes, Greenwood, Scott, Beckie; Weir, Coombs, Stanway; Shaw, White, Hemp
We say: Manchester United Women 2-1 Manchester City Women
Derby day is all about passion and form tends not to be followed which is why, despite Manchester City's recent run of results and squad injuries, the visitors should not be written off.
Man United are most probably favourites for this game and they are likely to be able to collect three points this weekend, but the game could be a cagey and closely-fought encounter.
Top tip
body check tags ::
Previews by email
