After several weeks off, women's football is back in full swing. Several big leagues, including the Women's Super League and the UEFA Women's Champions League will be resuming action.
Here is all you need to know ahead of another week of women's football.
What to watch in women's football: January 19th to January 21st
Women's Super League
The WSL picks up on Friday, January 19th as Leicester City, who sit in eighth spot on ten points, welcome ninth-placed Aston Villa. Given that one point separates the two sides, this game could see some slight changes in the league table as both teams battle to being avoided dragged closer to the relegation zone.
On Saturday, Arsenal will hope to restart 2024 on a good note when they host Everton. The Gunners are determined to remain part of this season's title race and a victory over struggling Everton would temporarily help them to leap-frog second placed Manchester City and pull level with league leaders Chelsea - albeit for only 24 hours as both the Cityzens and the Blues will be in action on Sunday.
Sunday will be an action-packed day in the WSL with some key fixtures taking place. First up is a mouth-watering clash starring Chelsea and Manchester United, the two teams who finished in the top two spots. At the moment, the Blues hold a comfortable seven point lead over their upcoming opponents, but a win for the Red Devils surely will make things a lot more interesting as we head into the second half of the 2023/24 WSL season.
Following this, relegation-threatened Bristol City will be hoping for some redemption when they travel to face fellow strugglers Brighton. Meanwhile, Manchester City could pull level with Chelsea if they can pick up all three points against Liverpool and Manchester United do their cross-town rivals a huge favor and defeat the Blues in the earlier game. Finally, the day concludes with a London derby starring West Ham, who have failed to win their last five games, and Tottenham, who seemingly arrested their poor form with a win in their last match of 2023.
D1 Féminine
Friday also sees another round of D1 Féminine matches getting underway, starting with Paris, who sit in third place, aiming to avoid a third consecutive league defeat against a Le Havre side who have won just one of their last five games. Saturday's matches start with relegation-threatened Lille, who have lost five in a row, welcoming Dijon, who sit three points clear, and conclude with second-placed PSG needing a win over last-placed Bordeaux in order to avoid league leaders Lyon from slipping further ahead.
Lyon, for their part, continue to be unstoppable and will aim to extend their perfect run - which has seen them win all 12 of their league matches so far this season - when they travel to face Montpellier on Sunday.
Serie A (Women)
Over in Italy, Sampdoria will look to become the latest team to heap more misery on Napoli when the latest round of games kicks off on Saturday, January 20th. Napoli have really endured a miserable run in the top flight and are still seeking their first win of the campaign. Saturday's other game includes an intriguing tie featuring Inter Milan and Roma. The Giallorosse are firmly in control of the Scudetto race as they aim to successfully defend their title, and so far, have yet to drop a single point this season with 12 wins from their first 12 games.
Sunday also features a double header, with Fiorentina hoping to jump into the top two spots at the expense of Pomigliano, who are also in danger of the drop after picking up just one win so far this season. However, Juventus, who sit in second, will be the heavy favorites to reclaim second and continue their pressure on Roma when they travel to face Sassuolo. That being said, the Neroverde have been in decent form lately, with three wins from their last five and certainly will look to try to cause an upset on home turf.
Top news in women's football
USWNT star Mallory Swanson makes history
Despite spending most of 2023 out due to a knee injury, Mallory Swanson is set to make a huge comeback in 2024 - and in more ways than one.
The Littleton, Colorado born forward will make history once the 2024 NSWL season gets underway after successfully securing a multi-year extension to her current deal with the Chicago Red Stars. According to reports, Swanson's deal, which runs to 2028 with an option of an extra year, will see her net approximately over $400,000 per season.
Swanson, 25, is no stranger to setting records throughout her career. It was not too long ago that she was making waves with the USWNT as a breakout young star, starting from January 2016 when the then-17-year-old became the youngest player to be selected in an Olympic qualifying squad. That same year, she became the first ever USWNT player to play in both the Olympic Games as well as the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup.
She is also the youngest player in USWNT history to reach double digits in assists and was part of the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup winning squad (as the team's second youngest player). To date, she has scored 21 goals in over 40 appearances for the Chicago Red Stars, and given that her team had a miserable run last season that saw them finish dead last in the table, it is safe to say that everyone involved with the club will hope to have her hitting the ground running once the 2024 NWSL season gets underway in March.
El Clasico all one way traffic in Spanish Women's Super Cup
Last weekend saw another installment of El Clasico in the Spanish Super Cup, which was won by Real Madrid, 4-1. Flash-forward a few days a later, and another Clasico got underway in the semi-finals of the women's version of the same competition, with Real Madrid hoping to make it to their first ever final. However, it was all one way traffic as Barcelona cruised to a 4-0 win to ensure that the Blaugrana have a chance to win what will be their fourth title and their third in a row when they face Levante this weekend.
This week will be an interesting one, especially as the UEFA Women's Champions League resumes.
Here's what to keep your eye on over the next few days.
What to watch in women's football: January 22nd to January 25th
Serie A (women)
The latest round of fixtures in Italy's top flight will conclude on Monday as Milan hope to earn a much-needed win against Como, who likewise will be looking for the same result. Both teams are winless in their last five matches.
UEFA Women's Champions League
Fans will be in for a treat starting from Wednesday, January 24th as the UEFA Women's Champions League returns. It's matchday five in the group stages, and while some teams, such as Barcelona and Lyon have predictably secured a spot in the next round, there is still plenty to play for.
Wednesday's big games include Roma and Bayern Munich, who sit in fourth and third place in Group C respectively. Both teams still do have a chance at qualifying for the next round, but will need to pick up all three points here ahead of PSG and Ajax's showdown that will be played later on Wednesday, as those teams will start matchday five sitting in second and first respectively. Arguably, given that the four teams are all separated by just one point (Ajax, 7; PSG, 6; Bayern Munich, 5; and Roma, 4), this group will be one to surely keep one's eyes on over the next two group stage matchdays.
Meanwhile, Chelsea will look to consolidate their grip on top spot in Group D when they take on a Real Madrid side who have been already eliminated from the competition. At the moment, the Blues are one point clear of second-placed BK Häcken, who will face Paris in the other game taking place on Wednesday.
Matchday five of the group stages finishes up on Thursday, January 25th. Although both Barcelona and Lyon have already secured their places in the next round, both teams will naturally be given their very best when they face Eintracht Frankfurt and Swiss side St. Polten respectively.
Didn't find your favorite women's league on this list? No worries, as this is just a highlight of some of the exciting games coming up this week. Make sure to check out our special Women's Football Page here at LiveSoccerTV.com for full broadcast info, match updates, news, and more.
