Matildas Abroad Preview: Crucial top of the table clash in France; Aussies face off in England

Matildas Abroad action continues with a  mouth-watering top of the table clash between Lyon and PSG in France; while two games remain in Denmark.

A number of our Matildas Abroad will be facing off across England, with ladder leaders Arsenal attempting to cement their place undefeated at the top. 

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Arsenal is looking to make it seven wins in a row when they play Tottenham Hotspur. Caitlin Foord and Steph Catley were both on the scoresheet throughout the week in Arsenal's 5-1 win over HB Køge in the UWCL.

Lydia Williams made her first appearance for the Gunners on the 30th of September in their midweek UWCL win. Williams last appearance in goals came against Spurs in the Women's FA Cup. 

Kyah Simon of Tottenham Hotspur makes a pass whilst under pressure from Hannah Blundell of Manchester United (Photo: GettyImages)
Kyah Simon of Tottenham Hotspur makes a pass whilst under pressure from Hannah Blundell of Manchester United (Photo: GettyImages)

Kyah Simon started for Spurs in their 1-1 all draw with Manchester United last weekend. 

Sunday morning's north London derby promises high action from both sides, with Arsenal's last win in the UWCL seeing five different goalscorers on the scoresheet. 

Spurs have never beaten Arsenal before in the WSL and will be looking to put a dent in Jonas Eidevall's perfect start to the season at the Gunners.

The match kicks off on Sunday morning at 12:30 am AEDT.

READ: Remy Siemsen: "It's not every day you get to verse an opposition like the US"

MORE: Sam Kerr, Caitlin Foord and Ellie Carpenter nominated for Best Female Player in the World by Goal

TICKETS: How to get your tickets for AUS v USA

Emily Gielnik hasn't appeared for Aston Villa in four games, out due to injury.

Coach Carla Ward explained after Villa's 1-0 loss to Chelsea last weekend that Gielnik is "a few days away", meaning we could see the Aussie on the bench in their upcoming game against Birmingham City. 

Villa has been unable to score in their past four WSL games, with Gielnik's goal against Brighton the last time The Lions found the back of the net. 

The match kicks off on Monday morning at 1:00 am AEDT.

Manchester City host reigning WLS champions Chelsea as they hunt for their third win of the season, City are winless in eight FA WSL matches against the Blues.

However, Chelsea has never won away from home against City. Coach Emma Hayes will be hoping her dangerous front three of Sam Kerr, Fran Kirby and Pernille Harder are in sync to help Chelsea to six wins in a row. 

Sam Kerr and Fran Kirby celebrating a goal against Everton. (Photo: GettyImages)
Sam Kerr and Fran Kirby celebrating a goal against Everton. (Photo: GettyImages)

The two sides met in late October in the FA Women's Cup semi-final, where Chelsea walked away with a 3-0 to send them to the final at Wembley Stadium. 

Gareth Taylor's City side collected only their second win of the WSL season last week against Leicester, Hayley Raso and Alanna Kennedy were unused substitutes in the win. 

The match kicks off on Monday morning at 2:00 am AEDT.

West Ham United will be looking to bounce back after their 4-0 defeat at the hands of Arsenal last weekend when they welcome Reading FC. 

The Hammers will be hoping they can extend their unbeaten run at home to four matches, after picking up five points from their three games so far in east London. 

Impressive performances in goals by Mackenzie Arnold for West Ham have been key to their success in the WSL this season, with the Aussie shot-stopper making 11 key saves to keep the Hammers unbeaten streak at home alive.

Mackenzie Arnold celebrates West Ham's 2-0 win. (Photo: GettyImages)

Fellow Australian Tameka Yallop has impressed since signing for West Ham, picking up two goals so far for her new side. 

Reading come into the game off the back of two 3-0 wins, and will be looking to use this momentum to pick up a third win of the season. 

The match kicks off on Monday morning at 2:00 am AEDT.

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Moving over to France, Mary Fowler's Montpellier host Issy FF in search of their fourth win of the season. 

Montpellier last game at the end of October ended in a 2-1 win, with Montpellier scoring a goal in second-half stoppage time to secure the win. 

The match kicks off on Sunday morning at 12:30 am AEDT.

Meanwhile, Ellie Carpenter's Lyon host Paris Saint-Germain in the top of the table clash in the Division 1 Féminine.

Both sides are unbeaten so far in the competition, with seven wins each to start the season. 

Ellie Carpenter in Lyon's 2-1 UWCL win. (Source: @OLfeminin Twitter)


There will be plenty to play for on either side, with offseason moves to make this draw more interesting. 

Shot-stopper Christiane Endler made the move to Lyon in the offseason after four years at PSG, helping Paris to their first championship last season, dethroning Lyon's 14 consecutive years run as Division 1 Féminine champions. 

The match kicks off on Monday morning at 7:00 am AEDT.

Over in Denmark, just two games remain for sides to clinch the top two spots in order to claim a UWCL spot next season. 

Ladder leaders HB Køge will be looking to bounce back from their mid-week loss in the UWCL against Arsenal when they welcome Jenna McCormick's AGF. 

Køge remains unbeaten in the Elitedivisionen season and has all but secured first place for the second season in a row with 34 points. 

McCormick's AGF will be hoping they can finish the season on a high, after only picking up two wins so far. 

The match kicks off on Saturday night at 11:45 pm AEDT.

Fortuna Hjørring currently sits in second place on 27 points and will be looking to hang onto second place and clinch a UWCL spot. After missing a UWCL spot this season, Hjørring will need to be clinical against KoldingQ this weekend.

Angela Beard for Fortuna Hjørring (Source: @fortunahjorring Instagram)


However, Hjørring biggest test comes in their final game of the season when they take on third-place Brøndby IF, who sit just five points behind them. 

The meeting between the two sides earlier in the season ended in a 0-0 all draw. Angela Beard, Clare Wheeler, Indi Riley and Alex Huynh will be hoping they can help Fortuna clinch a UWCL spot for next season.

The match kicks off on Monday morning at 1:00 am AEDT.

In Norway, Karly Roestbakken's LSK Kvinner host first place IL Sandviken in their last match of the season. 

LSK sit just out of reach of a UWCL spot for next season in third place. Roestbakken has only recently made her return for the Norwegian side, out with injury for the majority of their season. 


The match kicks off on Saturday night at 11:00 pm AEDT. 

Our final stop in Europe takes us to Spain, Beattie Goad's UD Granadilla Tenerife are looking to make it three wins in a row when they host Valencia.

After scoring her first goal for Tenerife and making the Primera División team of the week, Goad will be hoping she can help her team to another win. 

The match kicks off on Monday morning at 6:00 am AEDT. 

Our final destination takes us to Japan, Alex Chidiac's JEF United host Nojima Stella. JEF have started to find form at the right time, having won three in a row. 

Their opposition Nojima Stella has only managed to pick up one win so far in the season and currently sit in ninth place.

The match kicks off on Saturday at 3:00 pm AEDT.