Chelsea handed Man City test to open WSL title defence
Newly promoted London City Lionesses face a trip to the Emirates Stadium to play European champions Arsenal the following day live on BBC One, promising a stern test for the WSL's first fully independent club in their first ever top-flight fixture.
Renee Slegers' side are looking to build on their stunning victory over Barcelona in May which saw them lift the Champions League trophy, as they seek to end Chelsea's WSL monopoly and become champions for the first time since 2019.
This season marks the beginning of a new five-year broadcast deal in which every match will be made available live on either the BBC or Sky Sports.
For the first time, all WSL2 matches will be broadcast live on YouTube, with Sky Sports and the BBC also having the right to select any second-tier matches for broadcast.
Anfield will host its first Merseyside derby of the season on September 7 when Everton visit to kick off the campaign, whilst last season's third-place finishers Manchester United welcome Leicester to Leigh Sports Village.
Brighton v Aston Villa and Tottenham v West Ham round out the opening weekend's fixtures.
Last season's top two Chelsea and Arsenal meet for the first time at the Emirates on November 8 with the first Manchester derby taking place at the Etihad Stadium on November 16.
This season will be the last in which the WSL uses its current 12-team format, with the division set to expand to 14 from the 2026-27 campaign.
Two clubs are set to be promoted from the new WSL2 – formerly the Championship – with the WSL's bottom side playing off against the side that finishes third in the second tier.
The league have also committed to ensuring that Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United will be given two clear days' rest after domestic matches in order to prepare for midweek Champions League games.
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Daily Record
32 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Jordan Smith relishing Hibs chance at history he thought would never come after elite Euro upbringing
The former Nottingham Forest youngster preparing to face FK partizan as David Gray does things differently Jordan Smith grew up at a club absolutely steeped in European pedigree. Now he's just grateful for the chance to play on the continent himself after thinking his chance had gone. The Hibs keeper has already had his first taste of Euro action, playing both legs of the Hibees Europa League second round qualifier against FC Midtjylland which ended in spectacular yet heartbreaking fashion. Now the Hibees are in Belgrade to take on FK Partizan in the third round of the Conference League qualifiers. The Serbs may be playing second fiddle to bitter city rivals Crvena Zvezda - Red Star Belgrade in old money, who finished on 100 points and 27 clear of Partizan last season - but they remain amongst the more recognisable names of European football. Smith learned his trade as a goalkeeper at twice European Cup winners Nottingham Forest. He might not be about to continue the tradition by lifting a European trophy, but that doesn't mean he can't help Hibs make their own history. 'I grew up as a youngster at Forest, where the older gentlemen around the place spoke with smiles on their faces about the great days when they won two European Cups,' he said. 'Those successes created so many great memories for everyone at that club and that's what we want for Hibs. The gaffer challenges us to make our own history and that's what we've given ourselves the chance to do. 'All the fans who travelled to Denmark with us last time were fantastic, it was special for them and for us. I've seen a few of them since and they're so proud to be following us in Europe again. 'We want to give them a result that makes them even prouder. We want them to come away with memories that get passed down through the years. 'At Forest, the photos and all the other reminders are everywhere, at the stadium and the training ground – and to be honest, it's quite hard to live up to that. As soon as new signings walk in the door, the first thing they show them is the replica of the European Cup. Then there's the two stars on the badge, all that kind of stuff. 'It's something everyone there can be very proud of and I was definitely proud to have worn that crest, to have represented them. I'm so glad they're back at the top level again. 'In all honesty, I thought at 30 my chance of playing in Europe had gone. 'I'd kind of got lost in the English system and spent a long time wondering what my level was going to end up as. 'The gaffer's spoken a lot about Dwight Gayle and what a career he's had, but playing at this level is something he never got to do, so you never take it for granted. 'We actually hoped the chance of European football might have tempted him back, but it didn't quite work. 'For me, though, as a 30-year-old, would I have expected it? No. So it's testament to all of us here that we've earned the right to represent Hibs here. 'I hadn't played first team football for a long time before getting my chance here and there's no doubt that doubts begin to creep in. You have to work hard to maintain confidence in yourself, so I can't sing the gaffer's praises enough for having that confidence, for sticking with me. 'I'd like to think I've repaid his faith with my performance since coming into the team at the end of last October – I'm quite proud of myself, I give myself a little pat on the back, but never forgetting that the attention's always on the next game and being at your best again. 'My game's changed massively since the gaffer brought me in. 'There's no pretending that when I came in the team wasn't in a dark place, so it was all about trying hard not to make mistakes that would make things worse. 'But since then we've been on a great run, so we all feel a bit better about ourselves and it means I can work on helping the defenders in front of me more, taking some of the pressure off them.' Hibs' preparations for their trip to Denmark didn't go to plan as major delays in Edinburgh threw them well off schedule. They still left with a 2-2 draw, but David Gray is taking no chances for the trip to Belgrade and they are doing things differently given the logistics of flying to the Serbian capital. "There is the element of that,' he explained. 'You want your flight to be on time. You want to take off at the right time and land at the right time, but sometimes it doesn't quite work like that. "We had a delay going over to Denmark the last time, and sometimes things are out of your control. That could quite easily happen again. "So if we get the work into the players in the morning, training-wise, we know if something was to happen and we didn't arrive until later on at night, we know we're getting there, having done the work, and the players can get a good night's sleep. If they don't go to the stadium, it's not the end of the world. "At least then everything's geared up and ready. They know exactly what they're going into and they can get ready for the next day, so it's about making sure you do everything you can to mitigate risk. "Denmark was a wee bit different with only being an hour and a bit away so we're playing this one slightly differently. There are challenges you need to throw in there."
Scotsman
32 minutes ago
- Scotsman
Hibs No. 1 grew up on Euro legends at Forest - and can't wait to make own history
Europa Conference League test in Belgrade an opportunity for Easter Road side Sign up to our Hibs football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Jordan Smith was raised on tales of European glory. Weaned on the history of a club whose continental exploits remain the stuff of legend. Having waited so long for his first taste of UEFA competition, the 30-year-old goalkeeper is determined to savour every minute of Hibernian's adventure. And to extend the experience for as long as possible. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Smith, who takes no offence at references to his career focusing on the journeyman-like aspects of his travels to date, has come into his own since being dropped into the middle of a full-brown crisis at Easter Road last season. Having shown himself to be a dramatic improvement on Joe Bursik, he's currently seeing off the challenge of new signing Raphael Sallinger. Smith, who actually racked up 50-plus games for Forest before moving on to Barnsley, Mansfield, Huddersfield and Stockport, explained the lure of competing in the Europa Conference League – after being knocked out of the Europa League by Midtjylland – in simple terms. 'I grew up as a youngster at Forest, where the older gentlemen around the place spoke with smiles on their faces about the great days when they won two European Cups,' he said, with a grin. 'Those successes created so many great memories for everyone at that club - and that's what we want for Hibs. The gaffer challenges us to make our own history and that's what we've given ourselves the chance to do. 'All the fans who travelled to Denmark with us last time were fantastic, it was special for them and for us. I've seen a few of them since and they're so proud to be following us in Europe again. We want to give them a result that makes them even prouder. We want them to come away with memories that get passed down through the years. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'At Forest, the photos and all the other reminders are everywhere, at the stadium and the training ground – and to be honest, it's quite hard to live up to that. As soon as new signings walk in the door, the first thing they show them is the replica of the European Cup. Then there's the two stars on the badge, all that kind of stuff. 'It's something everyone there can be very proud of, and I was definitely proud to have worn that crest, to have represented them. I'm so glad they're back at the top level again. 'Thought my chance had gone ...' 'In all honesty, I thought at 30 my chance of playing in Europe had gone. I'd kind of got lost in the English system and spent a long time wondering what my level was going to end up as. 'The gaffer's spoken a lot about Dwight Gayle and what a career he's had, but playing at this level is something he never got to do, so you never take it for granted. We actually hoped the chance of European football might have tempted him back, but it didn't quite work! Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'For me, though, as a 30-year-old, would I have expected it? No. So it's testament to all of us here that we've earned the right to represent Hibs here.' Smith expects to be put to the test here in Belgrade tonight, with Partizan boasting a young team full of talent. And, of course, the atmosphere is certain to be towards the lively end of uproarious. 'A couple of the boys had a look online at Partizan's games and we know it's going to be a hostile environment,' said the experienced goalie. 'That's one of the great things about Europe, though, the fact that we get to travel to places we wouldn't normally go to, that we get to experience these kinds of atmospheres. 'It'll be different from Midtjylland, that's for sure. But when we were talking at the back end of last season, this is the kind of night it was all about, this is what we were aiming for. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'It's another opportunity for to and enjoy that and to try and prove ourselves. You need a strong mindset to thrive in the kind of atmosphere we're expecting to face. You'll definitely get the adrenaline and the nerves, it just depends on how you use them – do you allow them to breed doubt or to fuel the fire. 'For me, there's a real need to concentrate more, something I work on a lot. As I've got older, I've practiced focussing my mind more and more. When you think that Thursday went to extra-time, then you're thinking about the possibility of penalties, then you're having to pick yourself up for a league, then you're back into Europe again, you have to find ways to keep yourself switched on all the time. 'I think that's even more important for a goalkeeper, because while an outfield player might get away with switching off for a split-second and making a mistake, we don't.' Smith still carries the air of a man living some unexpected dream. Signed very much as a back-up to former England Under-21 star Bursik, he deserves enormous credit for taking his chance when it came. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I hadn't played first team football for a long time before getting my chance here and there's no doubt that doubts begin to creep in,' he confessed, adding: 'You have to work hard to maintain confidence in yourself, so I can't sing the gaffer's praises enough for having that confidence, for sticking with me. 'I'd like to think I've repaid his faith with my performance since coming into the team at the end of last October – I'm quite proud of myself, I give myself a little pat on the back, never forgetting that the attention's always on the next game and being at your best again. 'My game's changed massively since the gaffer brought me in. There's no pretending that when I came in the team wasn't in a dark place, so it was all about trying hard not to make mistakes that would make things worse. 'But since then we've been on a great run, so we all feel a bit better about ourselves and it means I can work on helping the defenders in front of me more, taking some of the pressure off them. You're a small part of a big team, someone who just tries to help as best he can. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I've learned a lot about myself these past ten months. In a footballing sense I'm still a student of the game, someone who still watches every frame of footage I can about the opposition. 'And as a person, when I think back to those really testing times, I feel better prepared to deal with the high-pressure moments that lie ahead.'
Daily Mirror
33 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Alan Shearer's Premier League predictions for all 20 places this season including champions
Alan Shearer has laid out his predictions for the final 2025-26 Premier League table, as Liverpool aim to retain their crown and Manchester United hope for serious improvements Alan Shearer has cast his eye over the upcoming Premier League and believes the status quo could remain at the top and the bottom. Last season we didn't get much of a title race given how dominant and consistent the fast-starting Liverpool were. They have spent huge sums, which includes the British-record signing Florian Wirtz, in an effort to go back-to-back. Alexander Isak could yet move to Anfield and Shearer cannot look past the Reds as champions. Leeds, Burnley and Sunderland are back in the top flight. They'll be wanting to snap the concerning recent trend that has seen promoted teams head straight back to the Championship. However, Shearer has tipped all three to enjoy just one year in the Premier League before they go back down. That would mark the third year in succession that the three promoted teams cannot survive in what is a concerning trend, further highlighting the gulf between the top flight and the second tier. Arsenal have been tipped to finish second for the fourth year running - which will not please Mikel Arteta. He has spent big, adding Viktor Gyokeres as his No.9, but may still miss out on the prize that he is desperate to land with pressure mounting. Manchester City experienced a lull last term and begin a year without Kevin De Bruyne for the first time in a decade. Despite adding reinforcements Shearer hasn't backed Pep Guardiola and Co. to regain their crown, instead picking them in third. Their cross-city rivals, Manchester United, reached new lows last term and have signed some notable names in attack, as Ruben Amorim aims to seriously improve their fortunes. The pundit is predicting a better year but still not one where they return to the Champions League. Instead, he feels Chelsea and Newcastle - two clubs with very different experiences this summer - will both finished above the Red Devils. Newcastle's year may hinge on whether Isak stays or if they get in a top class replacement. Chelsea meanwhile have not struggled to get firepower through the door. Last year's surprise package, Nottingham Forest, will have to combine their domestic efforts with Europa League football. That will be a new challenge but Shearer still believes they will still be a top half side. Tottenham have embarked on a new era, sacking Ange Postecoglou despite his European success. Thomas Frank has a tough job on his hands but Shearer has backed them to finish in eighth, narrowly behind Aston Villa. The Midlands club have benefited from having Unai Emery at the helm but with so much competition at the top they've been tipped to fall again. Brentford now have Keith Andrews at the helm and have been backed to narrowly avoid the drop, finishing just above the bottom three in 17th. West Ham too have been tipped to have a difficult year despite Graham Potter getting a first full season in charge in London. For the likes of Everton and Crystal Palace it is another safe year of mid-table football. The Eagles will have European football, albeit not in the competition they wanted. Shearer's predicted Premier League table 1. Liverpool 2. Arsenal 3. Man City 4. Chelsea 5. Newcastle 6. Man United 7. Aston Villa 8. Tottenham 9. Nottingham Forest 10. Brighton 11. Bournemouth 12. Crystal Palace 13. Everton 14. Wolves 15. Fulham 16. West Ham 17. Brentford 18. Leeds 19. Sunderland 20. Burnley Article continues below *Predictions from Betfair.
