Matildas Abroad Preview: Galic and Twente prepare for Cup Final; WSL season comes to a close; Lyon prepares for play-offs

Matildas Abroad Preview: Galic and Twente prepare for Cup Final; WSL season comes to a close; Lyon prepares for play-offs.

Matildas Abroad Preview: Galic and Twente prepare for Cup Final; WSL season  comes to a close; Lyon prepares for play-offs | Matildas

Daniela Galic and FC Twente will take on PSV in the KNVB Women’s Cup Final this weekend. The final round of the WSL 2024/25 season commences this weekend, with Arsenal in pole position to finish second ahead of Manchester United in third.

Meanwhile, Lyon begins play-offs against Dijon.

Check out our preview of all the Matildas Abroad action below.

England

All games take place on Saturday at 9.30pm AEST.

Everton and Tottenham Hotspur will compete to finish the season strong. Everton could finish as high as sixth, while a big win for Spurs could propel them to ninth. Clare Wheeler will be available for Everton, while Claire Hunt and Charli Grant are expected to start for Spurs. Hayley Raso is unavailable for Tottenham.

West Ham will face Leicester City, hoping to maintain their impressive late-season record. The Hammers will be hoping for a win that will propel them to sixth place in the league, while Leicester will hope to finish tenth. West Ham will have Katrina Gorry available, while Courtney Nevin hopes to start at left-back for Leicester.

Manchester City will host Crystal Palace, who have already been relegated. Both teams will be hoping to finish their seasons on a high note, having been disappointed for various reasons: City for missing out on a European spot, and Palace for being relegated. Mary Fowler is temporarily unavailable for City due to her ACL recovery.

Arsenal and Manchester United compete for second place at Emirates Stadium. Finishing second eliminates the need to compete in qualifiers for the UEFA Women’s Champions League the following season. Arsenal needs a draw to finish second, while United must win. Steph Catley, Kyra Cooney-Cross, and Caitlin Foord will be available for the Gunners.

Brighton & Hove Albion, led by CommBank Matilda #225 Charli Rule and Australian Head Coach Dario Vidosic, aim for a fifth-place finish against Aston Villa in their season finale.

Chelsea, led by Sam Kerr, will celebrate their season-ending victory against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge.

Optus Sport streams the Women’s Super League live and on demand.

France

The playoffs continue this weekend, with the league’s top four teams vying for the championship trophy.

Lyon will face Dijon on Sunday at 11.15pm AEST. Lyon will be heavy favourites after finishing the season on top of the table. Ellie Carpenter will be available for Lyon.

The United States

Angel City will host the Utah Royals on Saturday at 12.30pm AEST. They’ll be hoping for three points to keep their playoff spot. Alanna Kennedy will be available in Angel City.

North Carolina Courage will face the Orlando Pride on Sunday at 9.30am AEST. The Courage are on a good run of form and will look to continue it against a Pride team that has started the season well. Cortnee Vine will be available for Courage.

The Portland Thorns will face the San Diego Wave on Sunday, 12pm AEST, with Kaitlyn Torpey taking on her old team. The teams are only separated by a point, and it is a highly anticipated affair.  Mackenzie Arnold is expected to play between the sticks, with Torpey available at right-back.

Portland Thorns FC goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold (18) prepares to kick the ball during the first half against Orlando Pride at Providence Park.

You can watch the NWSL live and on demand on Optus Sport.

Sweden

AIK Fotboll faces top-of-the-table Hammarby on Saturday at 9 p.m. AEST. AIK are in good form right now, but any point they can get from a team like Hammarby would be a pleasant surprise. Jada Whyman has been in great form since returning and is set to start again this week.

Kristianstads DFF takes on Vittsjö on Saturday at 11 p.m. AEST. Kristianstads has had a rocky start to the season, but they will be hoping that last week’s win inspires them to earn more points this week. Kristianstads can count on Remy Siemsen and Amy Sayer.

Denmark

FC Nordsjaelland travels to Aarhus on Saturday at 2 a.m. AEST. They’ll be hoping for a win to turn around their poor form and keep them in second place in the league, with a chance to qualify for Europe. Winonah Heatley will be available for Nordsjælland.

Netherlands

FC Twente will face PSV in the KNVB Women’s Cup final on Saturday at 10 p.m. AEST. The two teams have been the league’s best this season, and the matchup promises to be exciting and unpredictable. Daniela Galic will be available to Twente.

Germany

TSG Hoffenheim concludes the season on Sunday at 10 p.m. AEST against Carl Zeiss Jena, who are second from the bottom. They could finish as high as fifth with a victory. Jamilla Rankin will be available for Hoffenheim.

Read more on sportupdates.co.uk

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