Tough away clash against City

Credit: @liverpoolfcw | Instagram

In their final away match of the WSL campaign, Liverpool will travel to Academy Stadium on Sunday for a date with Manchester City.

The Reds dropped a 1-0 decision to West Ham last weekend, keeping them 10th in the table, while City’s title hopes suffered a slight setback last week, losing 3-2 at Brighton and Hove Albion.

Recent form:

With two league matches remaining, Liverpool can rest easy knowing they will be in the top-flight next season, thanks to Leicester City’s crushing 7-0 loss at Arsenal. On Sunday, they have a chance to win successive away matches in this competition for the first time since October to November 2024.

Gareth Taylor’s side have faced the third-highest number of shots in this competition (223) yet somehow have conceded only the sixth-fewest goals thus far (30). Despite averaging fewer than 50% possession per game (48.2), they are outperforming their expected goals metric (18.7), tallying 20 times in 20 league fixtures.

In 2026, Liverpool boast a 100% WSL record when netting the opening goal, doing so on four separate occasions. This weekend, they will aim to collect their first away victory in this competition versus Man City this decade.

The champagne for the Manchester City women is one ice for now, but locking up the WSL crown against their former manager might make the celebration that much sweeter. Andree Jeglertz’s side are assured of a spot in the next Champions League, and with one point this weekend, they would unseat Chelsea as WSL champions and collect the title for the second time.

A win on Sunday would not only give them their first trophy since Taylor guided them to the 2022 Women’s League Cup, but it would also assure that they finish the domestic campaign with a 100% record at home. All season long, this team have been a force in the attacking third, scoring a league-high 57 times, while leading the league in big chances (95). By winning their final two matches of 2025-26, they will equal their best-ever WSL campaign of 55 points, achieved twice before. City have won 13 of their 19 league meetings versus Liverpool, with the expected new champions averaging two goals per game against them, clobbering the Reds 4-0 in Manchester last February.

Team news:

Martha Thomas could miss this match for Liverpool with a sore ankle, Sam Kerr has a lower back issue, Gemma Bonner is questionable with a knock, as is Lucy Parry who has a calf strain. That same injury may prevent Sofie Lundgaard from featuring in this one, while Sophie Román Haug and Marie Höbinger have knee injuries. Beata Olsson is one goal away from equalling former striker Olivia Smith’s team-high of seven in this competition from a season ago.

On the Man City side, a pelvic issue could keep Naomi Layzell from featuring in this one, and Laura Wienroither is recovering from a sore foot. Meanwhile, Vivianne Miedema could be questionable with a knock, and Mayzee Davies may also be unavailable with a knee injury. Khadija Shaw leads the WSL with 19 goals, as she and Kerolin netted in their defeat at Brighton last Saturday.

Predicted XI:

Liverpool: Falk; Shimizu, Clark, Fisk, Bernabé; Nagano, Maclean; Enderby, Kapocs, Holland; Olsson

Manchester City: Yamashita; Casparij, Rose, Knaak, Greenwood; Brown, Hasegawa; Fujino, Kerolin, Hemp; Shaw