Matildas Abroad Preview: Title race heating up in England; Chelsea and City face off

After donning the green and gold, our Matildas Abroad are back in club land with plenty of big matches on the horizon.

The title race is heating up in the FA WSL, with Chelsea sitting four points behind ladder leaders Arsenal. 

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The first game of WSL action will see ladder leaders, Arsenal, host third-place Manchester United, with a crucial three points on the line for both teams.

After the Gunners picked up their first loss of the WSL season at the hands of Birmingham City while their Aussie trio was away on international duty, they will be hoping they can increase their lead at the top of the ladder when they take on United.

This game kicks off on Saturday night at 11:30 pm AEDT.

Meanwhile, perhaps the most interesting matchup of the WSL round will see Chelsea host Manchester City.

Throughout the week both teams booked their spot in the Conti Cup final, with this game a preview of what is in store for the blockbuster final in March.

Sam Kerr, Alanna Kennedy and Hayley Raso all featured for their respective sides in their Conti Cup wins and will be crucial come Sunday nights game.

In the absence of Kerr and Ji So-Yun, on international duty, Chelsea struggled to pick up wins in January. Playing out a 0-0 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion but managing to win 2-0 over West Ham. 

Sam Kerr of Chelsea and Alex Greenwood of Manchester City in action during the Barclays FA Women's Super League match between Manchester City Women and Chelsea Women (Photo: GettyImages)
Sam Kerr of Chelsea and Alex Greenwood of Manchester City in action during the Barclays FA Women's Super League match between Manchester City Women and Chelsea Women (Photo: GettyImages)

Both teams will be in desperate need of points to stay in touch with the top four, with City sitting just one point outside the top four teams.

This game kicks off on Sunday night at 11:30 pm AEDT.

Kyah Simons' Spurs, after four losses in a row across all competitions, will be looking to clinch three points against Brighton & Hove Albion. 


Despite their losses, Spurs sit in fourth place, just one point in front of Manchester City. Meanwhile, their opponents haven't picked up a win since November last year, despite holding reigning champions Chelsea to a 0-0 all draw last week.

This game kicks off on Monday morning at 1:30 am AEDT.

The final game of the WSL round will see a number of Aussies face-off, with Emily Gielnik's Aston Villa welcoming Mackenzie Arnold and Tameka Yallop's West Ham United. 

When the two sides met earlier in the season Villa scored a late equaliser to ensure a draw against the Hammers, with everything on the line going into this game at the halfway point of the season. 

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

Moving over to France, Mary Fowler's Montpellier takes on Fleury 91. 

Both sides sit in fourth and fifth on the table, with Montpellier just 2 points behind Fleury. 

Mary Fowler


Montpellier have had a good run in the D1 so far, almost playing out a draw with Lyon if it wasn't for an 89th-minute winner. 

This game kicks off on Saturday morning at 6:45 am AEDT.

Ellie Carpenter's Lyon host Bordeaux in the final game of the round, attempting to keep their perfect start to the season going and make it thirteen consecutive wins.

Bordeaux sit in sixth place but are coming off back-to-back wins in the D1, however, their last loss was a 4-0 showing from Lyon in the Coupe de France Féminine in early January. 

This game kicks off on Monday morning at 12:45 am AEDT.

Our final destination takes us to Italy, where Aivi Luik and Ella Mastrantonio’s Pomigliano take on second-placed Roma. 

The two sides faced off in the Italian Women's Cup group stage in December where Roma walked away 3-1 winners. 

This game kicks off on Sunday morning at 12:30 am AEDT.