Alex Chidiac will play for the Apertura trophy in Mexico as her Tigres UANL side prepares to play a two-legged final against Club América. Meanwhile, ‘Ausenal’ will have to take down the Brick Wall of Mackenzie Arnold if they are to secure the three points against West Ham.
Read a preview of the Matildas Abroad below.
England
Buoyed by a penalty shootout win over Manchester City in the Conti Cup, Courtney Nevin and Remy Siemsen’s Leicester City travel to play Sam Kerr’s Chelsea on Monday, 1am AEDT. It would take a monumental effort for the Foxes to take a point off the league leaders but, given their decent start to the season, it is certainly not beyond the realm of possibility.
After being rewarded with her first game time of the season in that Conti Cup victory, Siemsen is well placed to earn her first league minutes on Monday. Nevin and Kerr, meanwhile, are well-established in their respective team’s first eleven. The young left-back will no doubt be asked to give tips to her teammates to deal with a Kerr in red-hot form, coming off a hat-trick in the Champions League midweek.
Teagan Micah was rewarded for her performances in training with a start in the Conti Cup midweek and will be hoping to continue to push for a league start as her Liverpool side takes on Charlie Rule’s Brighton & Hove Albion on Monday, 1am AEDT. A win for Liverpool could see them finish the round as high as third, while Brighton will be hoping to keep their three-point gap in the relegation zone. Rule has been receiving regular minutes off the bench and the 20-year-old will be hoping to continue her run of games.
Steph Catley, Caitlin Foord and Kyra Cooney-Cross' second-placed Arsenal will hope to close the gap on the top of the table as they take on Mackenzie Arnold’s West Ham on Monday, 1am AEDT. The Hammers have had a less-than-ideal start to the season, currently sitting out of the relegation zone only on goal difference, and any kind of result here would likely require a huge effort from the CommBank Matildas shot-stopper.
Clare Wheeler’s Everton will face Aston Villa on Monday, 3.30am AEDT. Everton are another side who have not had the start to the season they would have liked, with only five points from their first seven games. However, a win against a similarly struggling Villa would be a huge boost to the side. Wheeler has been playing at wing-back for the Blues and will likely continue on Monday.
Finally, third-place Manchester City take on Tottenham Hotspur on Monday, 5.45am AEDT. A historic derby win at Old Trafford last week was somewhat tempered by an underwhelming penalty shootout defeat to Leicester City in the Conti Cup midweek, but a full-strength City is difficult to bet against. Alanna Kennedy has been ever-present for City, while Mary Fowler came off the bench for City in their last two games.
Australians can watch the FA WSL on Optus Sport.
France
Clare Hunt’s PSG take on Montpellier on Monday, 12.30am AEDT. Jocelyn Prêcheur’s side has been in up-and-down form in all competitions this season and will be hoping for a simple win and clean sheet to see them into the international break. Since returning from an injury at the beginning of the season, Hunt has been ever-present at centre-back and will be a key part of keeping the ship steady.
Meanwhile, the Lyon juggernaut keeps marching on as they take on Guingamp on Monday, 7am AEDT. Ellie Carpenter has been the first-choice right-back this season as they have defeated all comers, and it would be an overwhelming upset if Guingamp were to lay a glove on them on Monday morning.
Spain
After coming off the bench in the Champions League midweek, Hayley Raso will hope to help lift her Real Madrid side to a league victory over Sporting Huelva. Despite heavy defeat to Barcelona last weekend, Madrid are well placed to establish themselves in second and will hope to do so with three points on the weekend.
Mexico
Alex Chidiac could lift a trophy next week as her Tigres UANL side prepares to play a two-legged final in the Apertura against Club América. The first leg will be on Saturday, 1pm AEDT while the second leg will be on Tuesday, 1pm AEDT. Chidiac has been used sparingly by manager Mila Martinez but could have a huge impact in the game between two fierce rivals.