The final week of the 2024 Women's Super League (WSL) has arrived and clubs will be keen to end the year on a positive note.
Chelsea They currently lead the way at the top of the table, but the likes Manchester City, Arsenal and Manchester United Not too far behind. Elsewhere, Leicester City and Crystal Palace are bottom with the same number of points, but there are at least five other clubs at risk of being drawn into the fray with one or two bad results.
Some big matches are scheduled for this weekend, including the visit of high-flying Tottenham Hotspur to Brighton. Aston Villa host West Ham at Villa Park, while Liverpool will also take on Arsenal.
So, for the last time this year, 90min The results of each were predicted WSL This weekend's game…
It's a tough end to the year for Amandine Mikel's Leicester City side as they host league leaders Chelsea at the King Power Stadium. The London club have won all nine of their matches so far, so it's hard to expect anything other than a Chelsea win this weekend.
The Foxes currently sit bottom of the table with just five points to their name and have won just one WSL match all season. Sonia Bombastor's team should win this comfortably.
Prediction: Leicester City 0-5 Chelsea
This match is difficult to predict, but nonetheless, Brighton are in good form at the moment. Despite being beaten by Chelsea last time out in the league, they have caused the champions all sorts of problems and looked capable of pulling off a stunning comeback at one stage.
On the other hand, Tottenham occupies sixth place in the standings and has won only three matches out of nine. They narrowly beat Everton last time out, so they will be full of confidence on Saturday night.
Since Brighton have made a habit of beating teams outside the traditional top four this season, they should have enough to get over the line this time around to finish the year on a strong note.
Prediction: Brighton 3-2 Tottenham
Everton looked tough to break down at times as Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United all struggled to score against them. However, they score very few goals, and only Leicester City have managed to score fewer goals than Brian Sorensen's side in their first nine matches.
While Manchester City have Champions League matches to consider, including next week's match away to Barcelona, they have enough depth to get through this run of games unscathed. The win may not be as big as some expect, but City will take all three points at Walton Hall Park.
Prediction: Everton 0-2 Manchester City
This is a must for both teams as they look to move away from the relegation zone. They are just one point away from the bottom as things stand.
Aston Villa were comfortably beaten by Arsenal last time out, while West Ham came from behind to secure a huge win over Crystal Palace. Rehan Skinner's side will certainly be brimming with confidence heading into Sunday's encounter at Villa Park, with the hosts having recorded just one home win in the league this season.
It will be a very tight match for this reason, but Villa may have enough to win with the support of their fans.
Predicted result: Aston Villa 2-1 West Ham
After last week's agonizing defeat to West Ham, it may be too much for Crystal Palace to bounce back against Manchester United. Mark Skinner's side are not necessarily in scintillating form this season, but they are finally getting the results they need.
Palace suffered greatly against the big teams this season, with heavy losses to Chelsea and City. Unfortunately, United at home will likely be no different and they will have to dust themselves off and go again in the new year.
Prediction: Crystal Palace 1-5 Manchester United
After a positive 2023/24 season, Liverpool have had a disappointing start to the new season. Although they sit seventh in the table, the Reds are just four points off the bottom and risk being drawn into an unwanted relegation battle if they can't start producing results.
Given the way the defeat to United ended last week, Arsenal pose equal amounts of threat and have been in fine form since Rene Slijers took over as caretaker manager in October. It's hard to see Liverpool getting anything out of this game as they look a shadow of the team that caused all the top teams problems last season.
