Manchester City are having to do without Lauren Hemp today, after boss Andree Jeglertz confirmed Lauren she will be out of action for "a couple of weeks" with an ankle injury.

England winger Hemp limped off in City's 5-1 win over Tottenham last weekend and was later seen wearing a protective boot.

However, Jeglertz said that the injury was not as serious as first thought.

The games are getting started across the country.

Image source, Getty Images

• Manchester City have won 25 of their 26 Women’s Super League games against newly promoted opposition, with the exception a 2-1 loss to Liverpool in May 2023.
• City have lost three of their last five home league games played on a Sunday.
• London City Lionesses recorded their first ever WSL win at Everton last week and will be aiming to be the first newly promoted team to win two of their opening four matches of a top-flight campaign since 2019-20 (both Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur).
• There has been a penalty awarded in all three of London City's WSL games so far (1 for, 2 against).
• Kosovare Asllani has created the most chances in the Women’s Super League this season -10, at least five more than any other player this term.
• Since the start of last season, Lionesses striker Isobel Goodwin has scored more goals across the WSL and WSL 2 than any other player - 18.

Alex Brotherton
BBC Sport journalist at St Helen's Stadium

The atmosphere is building at St Helen's Stadium.

As You'll Never Walk Alone begins playing out of the stadium speakers, the travelling United fans try their best to drown it out with chants of 'United, United' and 'who are ya?'.

The players are out and we're almost ready for kick-off.

Image source, PA Media

Liverpool

Liverpool manager Gareth Taylor, speaking to Sky Sports on making five changes: "We're not blessed with numbers in certain areas, in terms of that competition we're bottom heavy in a sense of quite a few defenders.

"Wednesday was a good performance, did some good things and it's been quite an emotional week with Matt's passing, so we needed to try and manage things in the right way. And naturally there'll be changes."

On how the club has coped with Matt Beard's passing: "For me, the players and the club, the club especially, the response has been incredible and the support we've given to Matt's family, we've had Debbie, his wife and his mother, Margaret, and Mark into Melwood this week and former players and former staff, so I think it's been a real challenging week because Matt's a big loss. He leaves a big space and did huge things things for this football club, huge things for the women's game and we rightly honoured him and we will continue to do that."

Abbie McManus
Former Manchester United defender on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra at St Helen's Stadium

Liverpool will want this win for Matt today. I know his wife and kids are here, so I think the girls will put on a good performance for him.

Alex Brotherton
BBC Sport journalist at St Helen's Stadium

This is Liverpool's first WSL match since their former manager Matt Beard died last Saturday.

Touching tributes to Beard were made before and during Liverpool's 5-0 win against Sunderland in the League Cup on Wednesday, and we expect there to be more today.

The club has opened a book of condolence both at St Helen's Stadium and at Anfield.

As was the case on Wednesday night, it's likely Liverpool fans will sing Beard's song in the 13th and 47th minutes, the former referencing the Liverpool's WSL title win under Beard in 2013, and the latter Beard's age when he passed away.

What are you expecting from your team today?

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• Brighton and Hove Albion have won three of their last four WSL meetings with Everton, and did the double over the Toffees last season.
• Brighton's Fran Kirby has either scored (3) or assisted (1) in four of her last five WSL starts
• Everton have lost their last two league games and could lose three in a row in the Women’s Super League for the first time since February 2024.
• But Everton have won their last two WSL away games - both against Liverpool - and could record three successive away victories in the competition for the first time since August 2012.
• Everton’s Katja Snoeijs has scored four goals in five WSL appearances against Brighton, with only Toni Duggan (6 v Chelsea) and Chloe Kelly (5 v Reading) netting more times for the Toffees in the WSL against a single opponent.

After a strong start to the campaign which saw them beat West Ham and Everton, Spurs' last Women's Super League fixture was one they will want to forget.

They suffered a 5-1 demolition at home to Manchester City.

However, they have since beaten Aston Villa on penalties in the league cup after a 0-0 draw in normal time.

Leicester will prove tough opponents, though, having only narrowly been beaten 1-0 by leaders Chelsea in their last league game.

Everton announced around half an hour ago that they have signed goalkeeper Katie Startup on an emergency loan from Manchester City.

Startup has been signed following an injury to first choice Courtney Brosnan, and today is on the Toffees bench as Emily Ramsey starts.

Former Charlton and Brighton keeper Startup, 26, has been third choice at City behind Khiara Keating and Ayaka Yamashita.

Manchester United

Manchester United manager Marc Skinner, speaking to Sky Sports on Jayde Riviere and Elisabeth Terland returning to the side: "She's [Elisabeth Terland] been incredible and rightly restored to the starting team today because she's a super threat and she's been incredible so far. And Jayde just missed out due to a knock she received in a game just before that and both have returned and both will strengthen the team.

"I've been really impressed with the whole squad. I'm looking forward again today to see how they respond. I said to them this morning we have a unique advantage over every team right now, we've played more games. That might catch up later in the season but at the start of the season it means you have more cohesion, so that's what we're going to hopefully exact today and hopefully that will give us a little bit of an advantage."

Liverpool

Image source, Getty Images

Matt Beard's family have been "blown away" by the support shown to them since his death, says Liverpool head coach Gareth Taylor.

Former Liverpool boss Beard, who guided the Reds to back-to-back WSL titles in 2013 and 2014, died at the age of 47 last Saturday.

"They've just been blown away with the support that's come from the football club and the people of Liverpool," Taylor said in his pre-match news conference

"The outpouring has been incredible for Matt, not obviously just here from Liverpool Football Club and all of the people who are associated with him for so many years, but also the people in the women's game and even further beyond that."

Earlier this week, broadcaster Jacqui Oatley set up a fundraising page to raise money for funeral costs to help Beard's family, and more than £50,000 has been donated so far.

Here's how the WSL table looks going into today's games...

Image source, BBC Sport

Emma Smith
BBC Sport

At first glance, the question posed in the headline of this piece seems ridiculous.

Scratch the surface though, and there is substance to the apparent clickbait.

Chelsea are the major problem. Last season, Sonia Bompastor's side went unbeaten through their WSL campaign - a first in a 22-match season - and dropped just six points. Arsenal, after four games, have dropped four already.

Arsenal led after 10 minutes but ceded the tempo as the game progressed. And just as they seemed to have seen out a narrow win, they gave up the victory to set-pieces.

As for Renee Slegers, questions will be asked about her use of the squad and substitutes.

You can read the full autopsy here.

Arsenal failed to win for the second successive Women's Super League match as Lucy Parker's late equaliser earned a point for Aston Villa at Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners had led since capitalising on a Villa defensive mistake after 10 minutes, Mariona Caldentey intercepting a careless pass before Frida Maanum fired low past Villa keeper Sabrina D'Angelo.

But as Arsenal's tempo dropped in the second half, Villa came back into the game and snatched a point in the 95th minute when centre-back Parker scrambled the ball home following a corner.

It means Arsenal miss the chance to move top of the WSL, having drawn back to back matches following their stalemate at Manchester United last weekend.

There was one game in the WSL yesterday, with potential early significance in the title race...

Alex Brotherton
BBC Sport journalist at St Helens Stadium

Melvine Malard looks in confident mood pre-match, as she has every right to be.

The France forward is Manchester United's top scorer in the WSL this season with four goals, and has been keeping the Red Devils' star of last season Elisabeth Terland on the bench.

While her team-mates stood around chatting on the pitch before beginning their warm-ups, Malard walked towards one of the goals, stopped at the edge of the six yard box, and starred at the goal.

After about 10 seconds she moved onto the goal-line and surveyed the whole pitch.

Was she visualising another big performance today?

Image source, BBC Sport

Brighton are unchanged from the XI which started the 4-1 victory over West Ham in the WSL last weekend.

Brighton XI: Nnadozie; Rule, Hayes, Minami, Olislagers; Symonds, Cankovic; Seike, Kirby, Kafaji; Agyemang

Subs: Baggaley, Mpome, Noordam, Rayner, Carabali, Camacho, Auee, McLauchlan, Tsunoda

There are five alterations to the Everton side which started the 2-1 defeat to London City Lionesses at Goodison Park on Friday, 19 September.

Keeper Courtney Brosnan is injured so Emily Ramsey comes in, while Kelly Gago is also absent with Yuka Momiki starting.

There are two defensive changes with Karen Holmgaard and Rion Ishikawa dropping out, as does winger Toni Payne.

The reshuffle by Brian Sorensen seemingly has Momiki starting at full back, captain Grace Wheeler on the wing and Rosa van Gool in the midfield.

Everton XI: Ramsey; Pacheco, Stenevik, Fernandez, Wheeler; Mace, Van Gool; Momiki, Hayashi, Snoeijs; Vignola

Subs: Startup, Payne, Kitagawa, Ladd, Robinson, Weir, Holmgaard, Jones

There is one change to the Leicester side who lost to Chelsea last weekend.

Sari Kees starts in defence with Celeste Boureille dropping out of the squad.

Leicester XI: Leitzig, Thibaud, Kees, Cayman, Ale, McLoughlin, Tierney, Payne, Van Egmond, Eirksdottir, Cain.

Subs: Clark, Wellesley-Smith, Swaby, Sherwood, Ayane, Rantala, O'Brien, Mouchon.

Tottenham boss Martin Ho makes two changes to the side who were thrashed 5-1 by Manchester City last weekend.

Josefine Rybrink and Olivia Holdt start in defence and midfield respectively with Charli Grant and Olga Ahtinen dropping to the bench.

Tottenham XI: Kop, Rybrink, Koga, Hunt, Nilden, Summanen, Spence, Holdt, England, Naz, Tandberg.

Subs: Heeps, Grant, Dennis, Neville, Oroz, Ahtinen, Graham, Gunning-Williams, Thomas.