Matildas Abroad Preview: First place Lyon take on third-place Paris FC; Villa and Spurs face off in WSL action

Aston Villa and Spurs go head-to-head; while Chelsea is looking to overtake Arsenal on the top of the WSL table. In France first place Lyon takes on third-place Paris FC. 

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The first game of WSL action will see Chelsea finish off their busy week with an away trip to Reading FC. After a 3-0 win in the Women's FA Cup win and a 0-0 all draw in the UWCL, Chelsea will hope they can find the go-ahead goal early. 

Their opposition Reading FC are undefeated in their past three games but will need to be strong defensively to keep out the likes of Sam Kerr, Fran Kirby and Pernille Harder. 

Kerr goes into the round at the top of the golden boot standings, with 9 goals to her name. After a hat-trick in Chelsea's last WSL game before the international break, Kerr and Kirby's link-up will be vital for the Blues. 

This game kicks off on Saturday night at 10:30 pm AEDT.

West Ham United travel to take on Everton early Monday morning, the Hammers showed a dominant performance before the international break beating London rivals Tottenham Hotspur 1-0.

Mackenzie Arnold was crucial for West Ham in their win over the Spurs, denying the visitors some clear cut chances to level the score. 

Their opposition Everton have had a turbulent start to the season, sacking their coach Willie Kirk and appointing Lyon's former UWCL championship-winning coach Jean-Luc Vasseur for the Toffees. 

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

Since joining the Hammers in the off-season, Tameka Yallop has featured in all six games, scoring two goals on debut. 

This game kicks off Morning morning at 12:00 am AEDT.

After a confident 5-0 win for Manchester City against Aston Villa before the international break, where Hayley Raso was on the scoresheet twice, City will be looking to build on that performance when they take on Birmingham City. 

City has received a massive boost in defence, with news Lucy Bronze will be back for her first appearance of the season. 

Alanna Kennedy missed City's last two games with a thigh injury, Kennedy featured in the Matildas last game of 2021 against the USA while on international break, so should be an option for Gareth Taylor in defence. 

This game kicks off Morning morning at 1:00 am AEDT.

Emily Gielnik's Aston Villa will be hoping they can get their WSL back on track after a 5-0 defeat before the international break when they host Kyah Simon's Tottenham Hotspur.

Spurs and Villa both faced defeat before the international break, and if last season's meetings between both sides is anything to go off, fans are in for a close game. 

Kyah Simon of Tottenham Hotspur against Arsenal (Photo: @SpursWomen Twitter)
Kyah Simon of Tottenham Hotspur against Arsenal (Photo: @SpursWomen Twitter)

In the two WSL meetings between Villa and Spurs last season, Spurs won 3-1 at home, while Villa won 1-0 at home.

This game kicks off Morning morning at 5:00 am AEDT.

The final game of WSL action sees ladder leaders, Arsenal host, last-place Leicester City.

After two defeats for the Gunners in the Women's FA Cup final and the UWCL this week, Jonas Eidevall's side will need to get back on track to avoid any chance of Chelsea overtaking them on the WSL ladder. 

The Foxes, since their promotion to the top league, have been unable to pick up a single point in eight games.

Steph Catley in the UWCL


The newly-promoted side looked close to holding reigning WSL champions Chelsea to a 0-0 all draw in October, but two late goals stole the point from Leicester. 

Arsenal is looking to end their disappointing week on a positive note when they host Leicester, with the game kicking off on Monday morning at 5:45 am AEDT

Moving over to France, Mary Fowler's Montpellier played out a 0-0 all draw last week against Paris FC and will be looking for three points to stay in arms distance of the top three when they take on ASJ Soyaux.


Fowler has been crucial for Montepellier as of late, scoring three goals so far this season to help Montpellier to fifth on the ladder. 

This game kicks off on Sunday night at 10:45 pm AEDT. 

Ellie Carpenter's Lyon are looking to extend their perfect run in the Division 1 Féminine when they take on third-place Paris FC. 

After qualifying for the UWCL quarter-finals on Thursday night, Sonia Bompastor's have confidence going into the game against Paris FC. 

Lyon's ten game unbeaten streak domestically saw them beat rivals Paris Saint-Germain 6-1, Lyon have only conceded just three goals in their 10 wins.

This game kicks off on Sunday night at 10:45 pm AEDT