Matildas Abroad Preview: Coupe de France Féminine Round of 32 begins

Before the AFC Women's Asian Cup starts in two weeks time, our Matildas Abroad play their last games with their clubs before leaving for India. 

The Coupe de France Féminine Round of 32 begins for Lyon and Montpellier. Postponements due to COVID-19 cases in teams in the WSL has seen Chelsea v Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa vs Everton and West Ham United v Manchester United games put on hold. 

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Alanna Kennedy and Hayley Raso's Manchester City are playing their first WSL match since their 3-2 win against Birmingham City on the 13th of December. 

Manchester City beat Leicester City 6-0 in the Women's FA Cup.


An 89th-minute winner from Ellen White in City's last outing snatched all three points for Gareth Taylor's side. Kennedy and Raso both made the start in Manchester's last outing, with a number of injured City players expected to return for their away trip to Brighton. 

City have the chance to leapfrog Brighton into fifth place with a win over the Seagulls, the game kicks off on Sunday night at 11:00 pm AEDT

The Gunners are looking to maintain their perfect start in the FA WSL when they take on Birmingham City. Arsenal have extended their lead at the top of the ladder to four points, with Chelsea looking to keep in touch. 

Arsenal before the Women's FA Cup match against Gillingham (Photo: GettyImages)


Birmingham City is desperate for points against the Gunners, sitting last on the table with one draw and nine losses. The visitors have an attacking force that is in form, with Vivianne Miedema sitting second on the golden boot, two goals behind Sam Kerr. 

However, the Gunners defence is starting to become a worry for Jonas Eidevall, losing Leah Williamson to a hamstring injury and more recently loaning Anna Patten to Aston Villa until the end of the season.

Arsenal will take on Birmingham City on Monday morning at 1:00 am AEDT. 

Moving over to France, the Coupe de France Féminine round of 32 begins. Last season's competition was definitively stopped in March 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Mary Fowler's Montpellier HSC get the chance to redeem their quarter-final loss in the 2019-20 season of the French Cup when they take on Saint-Etienne.

Mary Fowler


Saint-Etienne has only picked up one win in the Division 1 Féminine, this win coming back in September with a 4-0 showing of Dijon. However, the side has previously lifted the trophy back in the 2011 season.

The two sides have met recently in the domestic competition, with Montpellier coming away with the 2-1. The game kicks off on Sunday morning at 12:30 am AEDT.  

Moving over to Ellie Carpenter's Lyon, who have claimed the Coupe de France Féminine a record-breaking nine times, will be taking on Bordeaux. 

After lifting the trophy back in 2020, beating Paris Saint-Germain 5-4 on penalties, Lyon will be hoping they can kick start their campaign with a win over Bordeaux.   

Lyon


The two sides met in Round 4 of the Division 1 Féminine, with Lyon walking away 4-1 winners. However, this game saw Lyon concede their first goal of the season with Bordeaux getting on the scoresheet just three minutes into the encounter. 

This game kicks off on Sunday morning at 2:00 am AEDT.