Brighton have been one of the stories of the season so far, and head into matchday seven of the Women's Super League season in third place. (More Football News)
Yet the S♕eagulls will face a hu𓆏ge test when they travel to face Arsenal on Friday, in one of two matches taking place that day to kick off the WSL weekend.
League leader꧋s Manchester City are also in action on Friday, taking on Tottenham.
On Sunday, reigning champions Chelsea - fresh from a 5-0 win at Goodison Park -💝 are back on Merseyside to play Liverpool.
Fou🅠r of the bottom five play each other, with Crystal Palace taking on Everton and West Ham going up against Leicester City, with Manchester United, who drew 1-1 with Arsenal last week, rounding out the weeke𓃲nd against Aston Villa.
Here, we delve into the pre-match facts, and take a look at the Opta superc❀omputer's predictions, for each of the fixtures.
ARSENAL V BRIGHTON
Arsenal are unbeaten under inter𒁏im boss Renee Slegers, and despite Brighton's fantastic start to the season, the Gunners are🐼 predicted to claim the points.
They have a whoppi꧃ng 82.1% chance of victory on Friday, with Brighton's win probability at just 6.8%. The threat of a draw is 11.2%.
Arsenal have a perfect record against Brighton in the WSL, winning all 12 of their meetings with them in the competition by an aggregate score of 44-2. Only Manchester City have a better 100% record against an opponent in the competition (𒈔16/16 v Everton).
Brighton, though, have won four of their six league games this season (D1 L1), just one fewer victory than they managed across the whol༒e of last season (W5 D4 L13). This is the Seagulls' best start after six matches of a WSL campaign.
Arsenal are winl🎶ess in their last three home games in the league (D2 L1) – only once have they had a longer run without a win on home✨ soil in the competition (six between May-October 2014). Brighton, though, have never won back-to-back away matches in the competition (they beat Crystal Palace in their last away game).
Nikita Parris has been in fine form for Brighton, and she will go up aga𝓀inst her former club. No༒ player has scored more goals in the WSL against their old teams than Parris (nine, level with Ellen White).
Beth Mead could be the player to really stand out for Arsenal. Against no side does she have more combined WSL goals and assists than Brighton (12 – seven goals, five assis🧜ts).
MANCHESTER CITY V TOTTENHAM
Arsenal are the most likely side to win, according🐈 to Opta's model, this weekend, but league leaders Man City are just behind them.
City came out on top in 81.8% of t♏he supercomputer's 10,000 pre-match simulations ahead of their game against Tottenham, whose win probabi⭕lity is 6.9%.
Spurs' only win on their four p🥂revious trips to face City in the WSL came in Septembe🐽r 2021, coming from behind to win 2-1 (L3).
City have won eight of their nine WSL meetings with Tottenham (L1), winning the last five in a row by an aggregate score of 16ܫ-1.
Only Chelsea (20) have scored more goals in the 2024-25 WSL than Tottenham (12 – level with Man 🔯City), however only Palace (16) have conceded more goals than Spurs (14) this🌳 term.
City have gone unbeaten through their open🐽ing siꦓx games of a WSL season for the fourth time after 2016, 2017-18 and 2018-19, while they have never lost in the competition when playing on a Friday (W3 D1), beating reigning champions Chelsea in their only such game last season (1-0 away).
LIVERPOOL V CHELSEA
Sonia Bampastor has had a brilliant star💧t to life at Chelsea, and the Blues are expected to keep up that excellent form when they fac🌼e Liverpool.
Chelsea's win likelihood is 73.1%, while there is a 15.1% probability of a draw, while Liverpool's chances are r🐲ated at 11.8%.
Bompastor could become the first manager to win each of their first four away games in the WSL. Chelsea have already scored 14 goals on the road this season, with the previous most scored under a manager after foꦗur away games being 11 by Jonas Eidevall's Arsenal.
Matt Beard, meanwhile, has won four of his 10 WSL meetings with Chelsea as Liverpool manager (D1 L5) – including his most recent in May 2024 (4-3) – with Nick Cushing (five) and David Parker (five) the only managers to win more games in the competition a🌄gainst the Blues.
Chelsea have won their opening five games of a WSL season for the very first time꧙ and could be the sixth team to win their first six matches of a campaign after Arsenal (2018-19, 2021-22, 2022-23) and Man City (2016, 2017-18).
This will be the 23rd WSL meeting between Liverp💜ool and Chelsea with only Arsenal and Chelsea meeting more of🌱ten in the competition (28 times).
Despite the Blues being favourites for this one, it is wort✅h noting Chelsea won four consecutive WSL away games against Liverpool between September 201♏5 and March 2019 but are since winless in their last three such trips (D1 L2).
CRYSTAL PALACE V EVERTON
Things ar🃏e not going well for Everton this season. They are bottom of the pile and without a win to their name.
They visit Palace on Sunday, and the superco♏mputer is anticipating a tight contest. The hosts' chances are rated at 37.3%, w♌ith Everton's at 36.3%. The draw is at 26.4%.
Everton's two points is their joint-worst tally at this stage of a WSL campaign along wi♑th 2014, when they were relegated, and 2018-19 (finished 10th).
Everton are, however, unbeaten in their last eight WSL games against newly-promoted opposition (W6 D2), winni🧸ng each of their last four such away games bওy an aggregate score of 14-0.
Palace have lost all three of their home games in the WSL without scoring, conceding 11 goals in the process; only three teams have lost each of their♐ first four matches on home soil in the competition: Yeovil Town in 2017 (-9 GD), Aston Villa in 2020 (-11 GD) and Leicester City in 2021 (-8 GD).
WEST HAM V LEICESTER CITY
West Ham are u🐼nbeaten in three previous home games against Leicester in the WSL (W2 D1), drawing this fixture 1-1 last season, and the Ham๊mers are expected to end their wait for a win this season when they face the Foxes on Sunday.
Leicester won just 25.6% of th𝓰e model's simulations, while 🌃West Ham won 48.6%.
West Ham are, however, the team that is most likely to finish bottom of the WSL this term, according to the supercomputer💃.
The Hammers are winless in their last 15 WSL games (D6 L9) while their two points from six games this term is their worsꦚt return at this stage of a top-flight campaign (D2 L4).
Indeed, West Ham have won fewer points (12 – W2 D6 L10) than any other ever-present🙈 team in the WSL in 2024, while they have lost each of their last five league g🍌ames in the month of November, since beating Leicester 1-0 in 2022.
Leicester, though, have won just one oꦏf their last 13 away games in the WSL (D6 L6), a 1-0 victory at Everton i🧸n January.
MANCHESTER UNITED V ASTON VILLA
Rounding🌄 off this round of matꦰches is Man Utd's home game against Villa.
Marc Skinner's team, who ar༒e still unbeaten, are backed to get the win at 73.4%, with Villa having a slender 11.2% chance.
With just tไwo points from six games, Villa have had their worst start to a WSL campaign (D2 L4) and this is the first time they h☂ave gone winless across their opening six matches.
Villa have lost all four of their away meetings with United in the WSL, conceding 15 goa♎ls and netting just once in the process, with that sole goal coming in 🌳this fixture last season when losing 1-2.
United may be unbeaten, though 🌜they have drawn their last two WSL games. The Red Devils could draw three successive league matches for the first time sinceꦫ November 2021.
Their🙈 success has been built on solid foundations this season. United have conceded just two goals after five league games, facing fewer than 10 shots in t💯hree of those matches.
