Women's Super League: Five talking points as Man Utd host Aston Villa at Old Trafford

Alessia Russo has scored three goals in eight WSL games this season

Manchester United open up this weekend's Women's Super League action by hosting Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Saturday lunchtime.

Arsenal welcome back England captain Leah Williamson as they get used to life without injured star Beth Mead, while it is top v bottom as champions Chelsea go to lowly Leicester.

Here are some of the key things to look out for in the latest round of games.

Will Man Utd go top at Theatre of Dreams?

The Red Devils are looking to put on a show in front of a big crowd on Saturday, with more than 35,000 tickets sold for the game against Villa at Old Trafford, beating their previous record attendance of 20,241 last season.

Homegrown captain Katie Zelem hopes their impressive form this campaign, which included a stunning 3-2 win against Arsenal at the Emirates in their last match, will boost the attendance.

"There's no bigger advertisement for women's football than to be playing at a huge stadium with a great atmosphere," she said.

"It's not my job to be convincing anyone to come, [but] I think our past results and our form is what people should want to come and watch."

Boss Marc Skinner knows what is at stake, too. Winning by two goals or more will see his third-placed side top the table for a few hours before leaders Chelsea take to the field at the King Power Stadium.

"It's about us taking charge of momentum, it's not something given to us, we have to create it. Regardless of how long ago the Arsenal game was, we have to take that quality into this game too."

One Lioness in, one Lioness out

As second-placed Arsenal face their first WSL match without injured striker Beth Mead, they have been boosted by the return of England captain Leah Williamson following two months out with a foot injury.

Manager Jonas Eidevall confirmed Williamson, who hasn't played since the end of September, would return to the matchday squad to face Everton along with fellow centre-back Rafaelle Souza.

But Eidevall must find a way of replacing Mead, who has been key to their title challenge this season, with three goals and four assists in eight games.

Arsenal will be without England forward Beth Mead for an "extended period" after suffering a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament injury on 22 November

Fortunately, both Stina Blackstenius and Frida Maanum are in fine form themselves, with eight league goals between them.

Eidevall was also able to recall the WSL's all-time record scorer Vivianne Miedema in their last outing, which came in the Women's Champions League, and the Dutch international responded by scoring the equaliser against Juventus to end her goal drought.

The Gunners are looking to get back on track at home to Everton after Manchester United ended their record 14-match winning streak in the league.

Toffees manager Brian Sorensen isn't reading too much into that result. "They're big favourites," he added. "They've been doing really well this season. Their loss against Manchester United - it could have gone both ways.

"Arsenal are a really good team, we have to play to at our very best to compete."

Unfortunately for the Toffees, history is against them. Arsenal have won all eight home games against them by an aggregate score of 22-4, the best such record between any two sides in the WSL.

Can Leicester stop the champions running riot?

After eight straight defeats, things aren't getting any easier for pointless Leicester this weekend as they host Chelsea.

With Emma Hayes now back at work for the Blues, the task has only got tougher for Willie Kirk in his third game in charge of the Foxes.

A 9-0 defeat in the corresponding fixture last season will bring back bad memories, but Kirk says Leicester are improving despite their poor form.

"Those first points are getting closer and closer. We will get them soon," he said. "We are building every day.

"We have a long-term plan. It is moving in the right direction, but we need something tangible to make sure the players get what they deserve."

With Leicester now four points adrift at the bottom, Kirk admits they need to start picking up points quickly.

"The pressure comes every day," he added. "We are setting high standards, that is not reflective of having zero points or 24 points from the eight games. It has been four weeks since I came in. There is a lot of development still to go but we need results."

Man City look to maintain fine form

Manchester City are in excellent form right now. With Brighton up next, they are looking for their eighth straight win in all competitions.

Since losing 2-0 at Chelsea at the end of September, fourth-placed City have won seven matches in succession, scoring 23 goals and conceding just two.

On paper, they should have a great chance of extending that run, having won six of their last seven matches against the managerless Seagulls.

But Brighton come into this game in good shape since Hope Powell was replaced by caretaker Amy Merricks, with two wins and a draw from three games and 10 goals scored.

It is three goals in as many games for Norway striker Elisabeth Terland, and Merricks believes there is more to come from the 21-year-old.

"She has found her form of late," she said. "Prior to that she had opportunities she was frustrated about not taking. When you start to score goals, it helps with confidence.

"There is no denying we have numerous players who contribute when creating opportunities. When players contribute, we create and score. We have to keep doing that."

Can Liverpool get back on track?

Beating Chelsea on the opening weekend appears to have been something of a false dawn for Liverpool, as they have not won since and are third bottom.

Successive 3-3 draws with Reading and Brighton have shown the Reds can be competitive, and that will give them hope of a good result at home to West Ham on Sunday.

Manager Matt Beard knows key to their hopes will be American Katie Stengel, who has scored five goals this season - 56% of Liverpool's goals.

"She is one of the best finishers I have ever worked with in women's football," he said. "When she was with me at Boston Breakers I saw first-hand how she can finish, all different types of finishes, not just tap-ins.

"We have been competitive in the games. We have created but we've just not taken the chances, but I do think in the last few weeks we have started to do that. That will give everyone confidence."