Manchester United Women will return from the international break with a home clash against rivals Liverpool Women on Sunday.
The hosts are sitting in fifth place in the Women's Super League table, while the visitors are six points further back in sixth position.
Match preview
Manchester United will be frustrated with the fact that they are sitting in fifth place and nine points behind WSL leaders Chelsea.
The Red Devils began the WSL season with three consecutive victories, but they have found wins much harder to come by in recent times, having won one, drawn three and lost one of their five league matches.
United played out three consecutive draws with Brighton & Hove Albion, Arsenal and Aston Villa, before they returned to winning ways with a 2-0 away victory over Leicester City.
However, Marc Skinner's side were unable to take anything from their away meeting with Chelsea before the international break, falling to a narrow 1-0 defeat to leave them one point adrift of the top three.
After losing at Kingsmeadow before the international window, Man United will return to action with a tricky match against Liverpool, with the hosts looking to protect their unbeaten home record after winning two and drawing two of their four home league games this season.
Liverpool are sitting in sixth position after winning two, drawing three and losing three of their eight league games this season.
The Reds are currently experiencing a poor run of form, having lost three of their previous five league matches (W1, D1), including their last two WSL outings against Chelsea and Merseyside rivals Everton.
Matt Beard's side managed to restore some confidence before the international break, producing a free-scoring display to claim a 6-1 win in their Women's League Cup clash against Championship side Newcastle United.
Liverpool will return to action with a tricky league meeting with Man United, and while they may not have home advantage, the Reds can draw inspiration from the fact that they have the WSL's joint third-best away record after collecting seven points from four road trips.
They will be looking to repeat their success from last season when they pulled off a league double over Man United, winning 2-1 in December's away fixture before clinching a 1-0 victory in May's home meeting.
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Team News
Skinner has revealed that Man United will likely be without Ella Toone and Lisa Naalsund for the rest of 2024 with calf and foot injuries respectively.
Aoife Mannion will not be ready for Sunday's contest, while Jayde Riviere will have to be assessed after she was forced off in Canada's recent friendly against South Korea as a precaution.
Elisabeth Terland is set to lead the line for the hosts after recovering from an injury which has kept her out of the last two matches.
As for the visitors, they are expected to be without the services of Lucy Parry, Sofie Lundgaard, Sophie Roman Haug, Rachel Laws and Faye Kirby.
Midfielder Marie Hobinger has picked up a groin injury, while Gemma Evans and Hannah Silcock are ruled out after they sustained concussions while on international duty.
Beard has confirmed that 17-year-old Zara Shaw will feature in the starting lineup after scoring her first Liverpool goal in the Women's League Cup win over Newcastle.
Manchester United Women possible starting lineup:
Tullis-Joyce; Riviere, Le Tissier, Turner, George; Awujo, Janssen; Bizet, Clinton, Geyse; Terland
Liverpool Women possible starting lineup:
Micah; Fisk, Bonner, Clark; Shaw, Kapocs, Holland, Nagano, Hinds; Enderby, Smith
We say: Manchester United Women 2-1 Liverpool Women
Man United may have lost their last two league games against Liverpool, but they have already beaten the Reds at Leigh Sports Village this season, recording a 2-0 victory in October's Women's League Cup match.
The hosts will take confidence from that successful outing, and we think that they will have the extra quality required to claim a narrow victory on Sunday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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