WSL Gameweek 4 preview: Arsenal selection headache, Chelsea's bogey side & table-topping Man Utd

There's plenty of WSL action to look forward to this weekend, with all 12 teams in action across Saturday and Sunday.

Arsenal and Chelsea head into the weekend buoyed by their midweek Champions League victories, two sides remain unbeaten and two sides are going in search of their first points of the season.

Here's everything to look out for during gameweek four in the WSL.

Have Man City turned a corner?

After a summer of high squad turnover and two defeats in their opening two WSL matches, Manchester City got off the mark in the league last weekend with a comfortable 4-0 win over Leicester.

It was an electric performance from City's front three of Chloe Kelly, Bunny Shaw and Lauren Hemp, while debutant Yui Hasegawa also impressed - but it was a game Gareth Taylor's side were very much expected to win against the WSL's basement side.

The trip to Tottenham - who beat an injury hit City last season and impressed against Liverpool last time out - will be a truer test of whether the Citizens have really turned a corner.

Tottenham vs Manchester City

When is kick off? Saturday 22 October, 11:30 (BST)
Where is the match being played? Brisbane Road
TV channel/live stream? Sky Sports Premier League
What time does coverage start? 11:00 (BST)
Referee? Emily Heaslip

Tottenham vs Man City - WSL preview: TV channel, live stream, predicted lineups & prediction

Everton to face trio of former players against Aston Villa

Aston Villa raided Everton for three players during the summer transfer window; Kenza Dali plus long-term Toffees servants Dan Turner and Simone Magill. Although the latter is currently sidelined with an ACL injury, there are still three Villa players poised to face their former club on Saturday, with Alisha Lehmann having had a loan spell on Merseyside during the 2020/21 season.

Dali has begun life at Villa with a bang, registering two goals and two assists in four outings and earning a nomination for the PFA Fans' Player of the Month for September. Her 36 progressive carries this season is the most of any non-defender in the WSL.

Turner has also enjoyed a strong start to her Villa career after her 15 years at Everton came to a close this summer.

“Everyone is talking about Hanson, Daly & Dali but not about Dan Turner," Carla Ward said last week. "She’s been sensational. She’s a solid 8/10 every week. She hasn’t put a foot wrong. You can see why she was a captain at Everton for so many years; she deserves to be spoken about.”

Aston Villa vs Everton

When is kick off? Saturday 22 October, 12:30 (BST)
Where is the match being played? Banks' Stadium
TV channel/live stream? FA Player (UK, International)
Referee? Kirsty Dowle

Will Arsenal stick or twist after Lyon victory?

Arsenal head into Sunday's clash with Liverpool riding a crest of a wave after their 5-1 victory over eight-time European Champions Lyon.

Jonas Eidevall made a surprising tactical switch for the fixture, bringing in Frida Maanum for her first start of the season in place of talisman Vivianne Miedema. It proved a masterstroke, with the young Norwegian international instrumental with her aggressive pressing, athleticism and energy.

The decision was a tactical one specifically with the Lyon team in mind, with Eidevall citing Maanum's running as the reason for her selection against the French outfit. The question now is does Maanum keep her place after such an impressive performance, or do Arsenal revert back to the midfield three of Lia Walti, Kim Little and Miedema, who had previously started every match thus far this season?

“You have an obligation as a manager to always look at performances, both when we are practicing and when we are playing games. There is team that picks itself, there is no player who is guaranteed," said Eidevall. "It is a nice headache when we have a lot of players who perform well; I would much rather have it that way than the other way around."

Liverpool vs Arsenal

When is kick off? Sunday 23 October, 12:00 (BST)
Where is the match being played? Prenton Park
TV channel/livestream? BBC Two, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport Website (UK) FA Player (International)
What time does coverage start? 11:45 (BST)
Referee? Cheryl Foster

Liverpool vs Arsenal - WSL preview: TV channel, live stream, predicted lineups & prediction

Man Utd must avoid complacency against Leicester

This is the WSL’s bottom club that is yet to register a point or even score a goal that isn’t an own goal, taking on the leaders with a perfect winning record and averaging 3.3 goals per game without conceding. On the face of it, the game should be quite one-sided.

United showed last time out against Brighton that they are capable of scoring goals and putting together a free-flowing attacking performance even without Alessia Russo. There is a real chance of going into this one without Ona Batlle as she navigates a concussion assessment and may not be risked, so there could be a defensive reshuffle too.

Marc Skinner is well aware that there is a potential for it to be an unexpected banana skin, but is adamant he will never underestimate an opponent.

“When we play Leicester this weekend, I think the biggest thing for us is not taking Leicester lightly," Skinner said. "There’s no way. Complacency can be a real beast for any team that has aspirations of being successful. I’ve got to make sure that we don’t get complacent at any point."

Leicester vs Manchester United

When is kick off? Sunday 23 October, 15:00 (BST)
Where is the match being played? King Power Stadium
TV channel/live stream? FA Player (UK & international)
Referee? Neil Hair

Leicester vs Man Utd - WSL preview: TV channel, live stream, team news & prediction

Will Reading end winless run?

Reading are currently winless in their last 13 WSL matches, a run stretching back to February. Fail to beat West Ham on Sunday and it will be the Royals' longest winless run in WSL history.

They last went 13 league games without a win between March and September 2013 - these were Reading's first 13 games in the WSL.

The Chigwell Construction Stadium has been a relatively happy hunting ground for Kelly Chambers' side over the years; Reading have never lost a WSL match away to West Ham, registering two draw and two wins.

West Ham vs Reading

When is kick off?  Sunday 23 October, 15:00 (BST)
Where is the match being played? Chigwell Construction Stadium
TV channel/live stream?  FA Player (UK, International)
Referee? Lauren Impey

Can Brighton spring another surprise against Chelsea?

Between the 2019/20 campaign kicking off and the 2021/22 season concluding, Chelsea won three WSL titles on the bounce, played 59 games and only dropped points on 11 occasions.

Manchester United and Liverpool both took a solitary point off the Blues, Manchester City took two and Reading took three. Arsenal - English football's most successful women's team - have taken seven points off Chelsea over the last three seasons - and so have Brighton.

The Seagulls are the only WSL side to have taken points off Chelsea in each of the last three seasons, inflicting the Blues only league defeat in the entirety of the 2020/21 campaign and registering draws in both 2019/20 and 2021/22. Can the Seagulls spring another surprise on Sunday?

Brighton vs Chelsea

When is kick off?  Sunday 23 October, 18:45 (BST)
Where is the match being played? Broadfield Stadium
TV channel/live stream?  Sky Sports Football (UK), FA Player (International)
What time does coverage start? 18:30 (BST)
Referee? Abigail Byrne

Brighton vs Chelsea - WSL preview: TV channel, live stream, predicted lineups & prediction