Man City look to bounce back in thrilling clash against Arsenal as Brighton aim to stay top

Each team in the top remains unbeaten in the WSL so far this season

Georgia Stanway is one player fit for Man City this weekend (Getty Images)

The Women’s Super League returns after the international break and it sees a mouth-watering clash between Arsenal and Manchester City.

City were dealt their first defeat of the 21/22 campaign by Tottenham Hotspur in the last round which pushed them out of the top five and it isn’t the only problem they are facing this season.

Gareth Taylor has a selection headache as 10 players are injured. Keira Walsh, Hayley Raso, Alex Greenwood and Caroline Weir may be fit for the fixture but Lucy Bronze, Ellie Roebuck, Karen Bardsley, Chloe Kelly, Esme Morgan and Steph Houghton are all unlikely to feature which makes their task of defeating unbeaten Arsenal that much more difficult.

The Gunners head into the clash with two wins from two, including a victory over defending champions Chelsea, and they will be favourites to take the win on Sunday.

Elsewhere, Brighton will aim to maintain their stellar performances that have seen them soar to the top of the table. They face Carla Ward’s Aston Villa on Sunday with Villa’s most lethal weapon, keeper Hannah Hampton, looking to extend her good form.

She has been branded England’s best in form keeper by manager Ward and she also gained praise from Brighton’s boss Hope Powell. The 54-year-old said: “Her distribution has arguably got to be the best in the league. I think that’s a real weapon for them going forward. She is a very, very talented young keeper”.

Meanwhile, back-to-back champions Chelsea will take on Manchester United in what is set to be battle on Sunday. Marc Skinner’s side also remain unbeaten with Ella Toone being their clear talisman this season.

If the Blues can shut down the midfielder and get their star partnership in Fran Kirby and Sam Kerr back to top form, Chelsea will be taking all three points back to Kingsmeadow.

The weekend kicks off with a fixture between Everton and Birmingham City on Saturday with both sides seeking their first win of the season. Willie Kirk’s Toffees have had a disappointing start with embarrassing 5-0 and 4-0 defeats to Man City and Chelsea respectively.

While Scott Booth is trying to smooth out the issues at Birmingham after taking over at the start of the campaign.

Undefeated Spurs have their winning momentum after that 2-1 victory over Man City and they will take on Reading on Sunday with West Ham looking to climb the table in a match against Leicester City later that day.