Scottish Women's Football

You can watch two live SWPL games this Sunday. Rangers v Motherwell (14:00) will be streamed live on the BBC Sport website, with Partick Thistle v Hearts (16:10) live on BBC Alba. Both are also available on the app and on BBC iPlayer.

As usual, we will also bring you live text coverage of Sunday's full six-game SWPL card, which includes Hibernian v Montrose, Glasgow City's trip to Aberdeen, and Dundee United hosting Spartans.

Every goal and talking point will be covered, with the live text starting from 12:50 on the BBC Sport website and app.

Then, on Monday night, watch the best of the weekend action on the SWPL highlights show on BBC Scotland at 19:00.

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Captain Rachel Corsie will miss Scotland's Euro 2025 play-off with Hungary this month after undergoing knee surgery.

The 35-year-old defender's club, Aston Villa, confirmed Corsie has undergone a "routine" knee operation that will keep out of action for eight weeks.

Scotland's first leg against Hungary takes place in Budapest on 25 October (17:15 BST), before the return on 29 October at Easter Road (19:35).

If Pedro Martinez Losa's side progress, they will face either Montenegro or Finland for a place in next summer's tournament in Switzerland.

Andrew Petrie
BBC Sport Scotland

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We're only eight games into the season, but the writing appears to be on the wall for Dundee United and their time in the top flight of Scottish women's football.

Suzy Shepherd's side have taken just one point - a draw against fellow strugglers Aberdeen - from the 24 on offer so far.

United are already four points adrift at the foot of the table and 14 goals worse off than second-bottom Aberdeen.

The Tannadice side are prime early relegation candidates - particularly with three teams destined for the drop due to the league moving to 10 teams next season.

United need points, quickly. So might they finally get a first win of the campaign on Sunday when Sparts, who sit eighth, come calling?

Having been top-flight mainstays, Spartans are now also nervously looking over their shoulder in the bottom half of the SWPL.

Spartans finished just three points ahead of United last season - who came 11th and survived via a play-off - and have taken just six points from their opening eight games.

The league has already started to resemble the final standings of last season, with Motherwell, Montrose and Aberdeen all in the bottom six alongside newcomers Queen's Park.

That means every time one of these sides plays each other, it becomes a big game. A point - or three - taken off any of the top-six teams is a bonus.

Last season, Spartans enjoyed two wins over United - one of them a 6-0 thrashing. But it was actually the Tangerines who won the first meeting between the pair last November.

Smart money might be on the visitors, given they've picked up two wins this season, but nothing is easy to predict in the SWPL.

Rangers head coach Jo Potter, speaking after the 2-2 draw with Celtic, says the "healthy" rivalry with Elena Sadiku's side can "only make our game better".

Charlotte Cohen
BBC Sport Scotland

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SWPL fans are no clearer on where the SWPL title could be heading come the end of the season thanks to Celtic's fightback against Rangers.

Yet again the Glasgow rivals couldn't be separated in 90 minutes as Celtic came from behind to snatch a 2-2 draw at Broadwood.

A breathless end to a match that looked, for 87 minutes at least, like Rangers were going to grab the points.

But Celtic's resilience shone through once again to split the points.

Where many sides would have crumbled, being two goals behind with 20 minutes to play, Elena Sadiku's players showed their grit, determination and desire to fight for one another to come back.

Saoirse Noonan's composure to take a penalty just two minutes after coming on, coupled with Celya Barclais' hunger to pick up the loose ball and send it goalwards, epitomised exactly what Celtic are all about.

Echoes of last season and Amy Gallacher 90th minute goal against Hibs that won Celtic their first ever SWPL title once again proved that this Celtic side simply don't give up.

But it's only going to get tougher.

Champions League games against Twente, Chelsea and Real Madrid loom as does an SWPL Cup tie against Glasgow City and a league clash against Hearts.

If there's anyone who can lead Celtic through that, it's Elena Sadiku.

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Elena Sadiku was frustrated not to pick up all three points as Celtic came from behind to draw with Rangers.

Despite being two goals down with 20 minutes to go, the reigning champions fought back to a 2-2 draw.

"Yeah, it's valuable [the point] but I also think that I'm a bit frustrated that we didn't get the win," the Swede said.

"But I'm so proud with the girls to be 2-0 behind and do the performance and how we pushed. I'm so proud.

"Like I said from the start, I have a great squad. We have incredible players, quality players, and what an impact they did today. That shows the quality of the squad."

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Jo Potter feels Rangers should have taken all three points in Thursday night's 2-2 draw with Celtic.

Rangers were leading 2-0 with just over 20 minutes to play before Saoirse Noonan pulled one back from the penalty spot.

Celya Barclais fired in the equaliser with just three minutes left of the 90.

"I think we've done everything that we needed to to win the game," the Rangers manager said.

"You know, we spoke about them only really getting back into the game through our mistakes and that's definitely what happened.

"As I said, the game was there for us to win and we're extremely disappointed that we didn't take three points because I thought at one point we were in complete control and looking like taking all three.

"At the end of the day we take a point. It's not a loss but we definitely should have had three."

Potter's side remain top of the table, but they're only a point ahead of Glasgow City and two ahead of Celtic.

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Elena Sadiku hopes Celtic's change of stadium will encourage more fans to turn out for matches.

The Glasgow club recently announced they'd be moving their home stadium from the Excelsior in Airdrie to New Douglas Park in Hamilton.

It won't be until later on this month when they play their first home league game of the season at the new venue but they've got a game against Rangers to worry about first.

"I'm excited," Sadiku said of the stadium change.

"I just want to play football and play games and hopefully we can get more fans in. That's what I want.

"I want more people to be able to come and watch our games.

"If a change of stadium is going to make that happen then I'm happy to welcome them."

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Rangers boss Jo Potter insists her players need to "do the business elsewhere" as well as beating their closest rivals.

They come up against Celtic on Thursday night in the first derby meeting of the season and the first since the heartbreak of last season.

Despite winning both the Scottish Cup and the SWPL Cup last season, Rangers missed out on clinching the league title on the final day as a result of Celtic's superior goal difference.

"I said to the girls at the back end of last year, out of 11 games against our rivals, we lost one and that’s not where we lost the league," Potter said.

"For as much as these games do matter, you can’t lose too many of them, it’s the other ones that matter as well.

"We need to make sure we’re up for these games but also make sure we’re doing our business elsewhere as well."

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Rachel McLauchlan is still "haunted" by the way Rangers lost the SWPL title last season.

Celtic and Rangers took it to the final day but the former's superior goal difference meant they were the ones lifting the trophy, despite both sides finishing on the same goal tally.

Since then, the defender has made the move down south to join Brighton but fondly remembers the meetings with Celtic.

The sides meet for the first derby of the season on Thursday night.

"I loved them," McLauchlan told BBC's Behind the Goals podcast.

"It's the games you look forward to the most, you always know it's going to be a really competitive game.

"Even weeks before that game's coming up you want to get your momentum. I'm really excited to see how Thursday will go. Both teams have started really well.

"It's still very early in the league but I think all the players will have the goal difference in the back of their minds. I know it'll haunt me forever even though I'm not at Rangers anymore.

"I'm sure both teams will be really ready to go and looking to get the three points."

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Glasgow City visit Celtic while holders Rangers come up against Motherwell in the SWPL Cup quarter-finals.

Last season's beaten finalists Partick Thistle are at home to Hibs.

Boroughmuir Thistle, who are the only SWPL 2 side left in the competition, are at home to Aberdeen.

All ties are scheduled to be play on the weekend of 10 November.

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Celtic will host Chelsea in their Champions League Group B game in November at Celtic Park.

It was announced last week Elena Sadiku's side will now call New Douglas Park in Hamilton home, after moving from the Albert Bartlett Stadium in Airdrie, but one group game in their maiden Champions League campaign would be played at the home of the men's team.

Women's Super League champions Chelsea will take to the Parkhead turf on Wednesday, 13 November with kick-off at 20:00 GMT.

Did you take in any of Sunday's SWPL Cup ties?

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