It will be Aussie v Aussie in France this weekend, as Ellie Carpenter’s Lyon faces Clare Hunt’s PSG in a battle of first against second in the Division 1 Féminine.
Meanwhile, up to five CommBank Matildas could be involved in FA Cup action on the weekend, as Arsenal take on Manchester City.
Read our preview of all of the Matildas Abroad action below.
England
This weekend’s fixtures in England are dedicated to the fifth round of the Women’s FA Cup.
Leicester City will host Women’s Championship side Birmingham City on Saturday, 11pm AEDT. Remy Siemsen will be hoping that the cup game presents an opportunity to secure more match minutes, while Courtney Nevin is expected to take part in the fixture.
Charli Grant’s Tottenham Hotspur will host another championship side in Charlton Athletic on Sunday, 4.15am AEDT. While they will be expected to progress, they will be wary of the threat that the current second-tier leaders possess. Grant has been a regular starter at right-back since joining Spurs, but may be rotated out of the side for this cup tie.
The round is headlined by the tantalising fixture of Arsenal against Manchester City, on Sunday, 11.30pm AEDT. Both sides are considered serious contenders to lift the trophy, and – with the exception of Chelsea – will face no tougher test on their path to potential FA Cup glory.
Steph Catley, Caitlin Foord and Kyra Cooney-Cross are all available for Arsenal, although it is unclear how closely coach Jonas Eidevall will stick to his preferred eleven.
Alanna Kennedy started in the Conti Cup midweek for Manchester City in an encouraging sign of a return to full fitness, so she is expected to be available against the Gunners if required. Mary Fowler has regularly featured off the bench for both league and cup games as of late, and will be available to do so if called upon on the weekend.
Brighton & Hove Albion will travel to take on third-tier Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday, 12am AEDT. They will be heavy favourites but in the FA Cup, anything can happen. Charlie Rule has been carrying a hip injury in recent weeks and will likely be unavailable for this fixture.
Teagan Micah’s Liverpool will take on London City Lionesses on Monday, 1am AEDT. Liverpool will be hoping for a straightforward win against the 10th-place Championship side, but will be careful of complacency. Micah has been sharing goalkeeping duties with Rachael Laws this season and will be hoping to earn a start in the Cup.
Defending champions Chelsea take on Crystal Palace on Monday, 1am AEDT. Even without their FA Cup talisman Sam Kerr, they are expected by pundits to cruise past the Championship side. It may be an opportunity for coach Emma Hayes to rotate her squad and give minutes to depth players.
Finally, Nottingham Forest – one of two sides from the third tier remaining in the competition – will host Clare Wheeler’s Everton on Monday, 3am AEDT. It will be an opportunity for Everton to get out of a small amount malaise, having lost their last four games in all competitions. Wheeler has been a regular starter for Everton this season, but may be rotated out of the starting lineup by coach Brian Sørensen for the cup tie.
Australians can watch the Women’s FA Cup on the FA Player. Selected matches – including Arsenal v Manchester City this weekend – can be watched on Optus Sport.
France
Paris FC will take on bottom-of-the-table Bordeaux on Saturday, 11.30pm AEDT. If city rivals PSG fail to secure a result against Lyon on Monday morning AEDT, a win for Sarah Hunter’s side would mean they are only one point off PSG in second. Hunter has been in and out of the squad this season but will be hoping to continue building her match minutes in the top flight on the weekend.
The headline fixture this weekend in the Division 1 Féminine is that top-of-the-table clash between Lyon and PSG. Lyon are heavy favourites – 10 points clear with a perfect record of 14 wins from 14 – but Les Parisiennes are a side loaded with talent, and will hope to haul themselves back into at least half a chance of a title race with a win this weekend.
Clare Hunt is expected to start at centre-back for PSG and be given the difficult task of keeping the likes of Ada Hegerberg and Eugénie Le Sommer quiet. Meanwhile, Ellie Carpenter is the expected starting right-back for Lyon.
You can watch the Division 1 Féminine here.
Spain
Real Madrid will travel to take on Real Betis in the Premera División on Monday, 12am AEDT. They are currently in second place, nine points behind Barcelona and two points clear of Levante in third. Las Blancas will be expected to defeat 13th-place Betis, but will take nothing for granted. Hayley Raso appeared off the bench in their Copa de la Reina defeat to Atletico Madrid on Friday morning, and is expected to play some part on the weekend.
Sweden
Kristianstads DFF will play their third friendly of preseason against Malmö FF on Saturday, 12am AEDT. Amy Sayer and Clare Polkinghorne will be involved as they continue to build their fitness heading into the Damallsvenskan season.