Matildas Abroad Preview: WSL returns in England with a jam-packed opening round

With the start of the Barclays Women's Super League being postponed last weekend, the season will finally begin with some blockbuster matchups. 

The 12th season of the Women's Super League (WSL) is scheduled to kick off this weekend, while a record-breaking California Derby will be played in the NWSL

MAT V SWE Thin Banner

England

Caitlin Foord and Steph Catley's Arsenal will kick off their season against Brighton & Hove Albion F.C., playing the opening game of the 12th season. 

Arsenal will be aiming to kick start their WSL campaign with a win, with last season's second-place finish still fresh in the back of their mind. 


Hope Powell’s Brighton side surprised most people last season, finishing in sixth place and have built on that success and saw out a 1-1 draw in their pre-season friendly against Manchester United. 

Foord and Catley appeared in the Gunners' pre-season fixtures, with Foord finding the back of the net in Arsenal's 2-1 win over Brighton in the pre-season.

This game will kick off on Sunday morning at 4:30 am AEST.    

Next up, Emily Gielnik's Aston Villa will host Alanna Kennedy, Hayley Raso and Mary Fowler's Manchester City. 

Villa has bolstered their side with a handful of new signings, most notably Euros 2022 Winner Rachel Daly signing from Houston Dash. While City has seen a number of key players move to different clubs in the off-season.


Fowler could be set for her WSL debut, after making her City debut during their UWCL games in early August. 

This game will kick off on Sunday night at 9:30 pm AEST.    

Kyah Simon's Tottenham Hotspur will take on Leicester City in their opening game, aiming to capitalise on their fifth-placed finish last season against City.

Their opponents just managed to stay in the top flight, avoiding relegation back to the Championship by just two points. Leicester only recorded four wins last season, however, most recently beat Spurs 3-1 in the FA Women's Cup fifth round back in January 

This game will kick off on Monday morning at 12:00 am AEST.    

Meanwhile, Mackenzie Arnold's West Ham United will host Clare Wheeler's Everton. The Hammers recorded their best-ever finish last season, ending the season in sixth with 27 points.

On the other hand, the Toffees had a lacklustre season finishing in tenth. 


Wheeler could be set to make her debut for Everton in their opening encounter against Leicester City, joining the Toffees on loan from Fortuna Hjørring. 

This game will kick off on Monday morning at 12:00 am AEST.    

Lastly, Sam Kerr's Chelsea, who have won the last three WSL championships, will begin their season against newly promoted Liverpool. 

The Reds make their much-anticipated return to the top flight, after spending the last two seasons in the Barclays Women's Championship.


Chelsea will be aiming to kick their season off with a win, after finishing last season on a high claiming the Women's FA Cup and the WSL title.

This game will kick off on Monday morning at 2:00 am AEST.    

USA

Moving over to the USA, Alex Chidiac's Racing Louisville are in desperate need of a win, facing a 13-winless run. 

Racing, currently in 11th, will face ninth-placed Orlando Pride, with their last game against one another finishing 2-2. 

Louisville faced a thumping 5-1 loss to the North Carolina Courage over the weekend and will be aiming to bounce back against the Pride. 

This game will kick off on Saturday morning at 9:30 am AEST.    

Over in California, Emily van Egmond's San Diego Wave FC will host fellow newcomers Angel City in what is set to be a history-making game. 

The San Diego Wave has sold more than 32,000 tickets for their first game at Snapdragon Stadium, with this set to be the biggest ever crowd for a domestic football match.


Wave is coming into the game off the back of a narrow 4-3 defeat last weekend, while Angel City played a midweek game that saw them hold on 1-1 to the Courage. 

This game will kick off on Sunday at 12:30 pm AEST.    

Lastly, Chloe Logarzo's Kansas City Current 13-game unbeaten run ended with a 4-0 loss to the Chicago Red Stars and will be aiming to bounce back against the Portland Thorns.

Kansas is still in contention to qualify for their first post-season, with only three games left to hold on to a playoff spot. 

This game will kick off on Monday morning at 7:00 am AEST.    

France

Next up, Lydia Williams' Paris Saint-Germain will play their second game of the season, taking on D1 newcomers Rodez AF, where Williams could be set to make her D1 debut for PSG. 

Paris kicked off their season with a 2-0 win last weekend, however, Williams was not named in the matchday squad.

PSG has bolstered their side in the transfer window, adding experienced Dutch international Jackie Groenen.

This game will kick off on Saturday night at 10:30 pm AEST.    

Journey to 2023 - Thin Banner NEW

Sweden

Moving over to Sweden, Teagan Micah's FC Rosengård will be aiming to bounce back from their second loss of the season when they host IFK Kalmar.

Despite going down 2-0 to Hammarby last weekend, Rosengård still remains 2 points clear at the top of the table and will need to increase their lead if they want to claim for the second consecutive season. 

This game will kick off on Saturday morning at 2:00 am AEST.    

Meanwhile, Elise Kellond-Knight, Kyra Cooney-Cross and Courtney Nevin's fifth-place Hammarby will take on third-place Kristianstads DFF.


When the two sides met earlier in the season Kristianstads came away victorious, beating Hammarby 2-0. Since then, however, Hammarby has found its feet, winning nine games and only recording two losses. 

This game will kick off on Saturday morning at 2:00 am AEST.    

Aivi Luik's BK Häcken will take on Eskilstuna United DFF, as Häcken looks to move into the top three with just four points separating fourth and third. 

Häcken showed a dominant performance last week, beating Umeå IK 5-0 to record their 11th win of the season. 

This game will kick off on Saturday night at 11:00 pm AEST.    

Lastly, a midweek match-up will see Clare Polkinghorne, Katrina Gorry and Charli Grant's Vittsjö GIK take on second-place Linköpings FC.


Vittsjö GIK is still battling to secure a top three finish and qualify for next season's UEFA Women's Champions League, after falling just three points short last season. 

This game will kick off on Tuesday morning at 3:00 am AEST.    

Norway

Our last stop takes us to Norway, Tameka Yallop's SK Brann Kvinner take on Rosenborg BK in the second round of the Championship round.

Both sides collected wins in their opening game of the Championship round, however, Rosenborg currently sits in first with a better goal difference by +1. 

This game will kick off on Saturday night at 11:30 pm AEST.