Manchester United Women are looking to maintain their hold on third spot in the Women's Super League on Saturday, when they travel to face Reading Women at the Select Car Leasing Stadium.
The Red Devils returned to winning ways last time out after back-to-back defeats against rivals Manchester City, while the Royals ended a three-game losing run with a draw on Sunday.
Match preview
© Reuters
Kelly Chambers's side struggled to create many chances against Tottenham Hotspur last weekend, but a sixth clean sheet of the campaign for goalkeeper Grace Moloney ensured that the hosts secured a point.
Reading will be keen to get back to winning ways this weekend, as their strong run of form between October and the beginning of February means that they are still in with a chance of a top-three finish, albeit they are now outsiders for that feat.
Maximum points against Man United would take Chambers's side to within two points of their opponents, but they would have to rely on mistakes from Spurs and Man City to leapfrog them also.
The Royals have taken 16 points from a possible 24 on home soil this campaign, winning five of their eight matches in Berkshire, suggesting that they should be confident with their own crowd behind them for this big outing.
Reading only have three more home games remaining this season, including Saturday's fixture, meaning that they have a tough end to the campaign and so will want to maximise their opportunities on their own patch.
© Reuters
Man United's last seven games of the season are arguably their most important matches in their history, as the chance of finishing in a Champions League qualifying position is at stake.
February was a month to forget for Marc Skinner's side, who did not record one win in their four matches across all competitions, but they began March how they want to carry on the remainder of the campaign.
Last weekend, Man United welcomed Leicester City to Leigh Sports Village, where goals from Martha Thomas, Alessia Russo and a brace from Katie Zelem sealed a comfortable 4-0 win.
Tottenham are hot on the heels of Man United, currently only sitting behind third spot on goal difference, giving even more importance to last weekend's heavy defeat of the Foxes.
This fixture is a repeat of the opening day of this season back in September, when Man United got the first win of the new WSL era, thanks to goals from Kirsty Hanson and Ona Batlle.
- W
- W
- W
- L
- L
- D
- W
- W
- L
- L
- L
- D
- W
- W
- W
- D
- L
- W
- W
- L
- D
- L
- L
- W
Team News
© Reuters
Reading will remain in a 4-4-2 formation, with Natasha Harding and Amalie Eikeland providing the width from midfield, while Natasha Dowie and Deanne Rose lead the line.
Goalkeeper Moloney had not featured since the middle of February before last weekend, meaning that youngster Rhiannon Stewart filled in between the posts, but Moloney's return is a welcomed sight for the Royals to re-gain valuable experience in the side.
Chambers made four changes to the side for their match against Spurs, from their defeat at Arsenal, and the Royals are expected to name the same side that earned that goalless draw last Sunday.
Millie Turner continues to be absent from Man United's squad due to injury, meaning that Diane Caldwell will remain in the heart of defence alongside Maria Thorisdottir.
Jackie Groenen came into midfield in place of Hayley Ladd last time out, and the former could remain in the starting 11 operating next time Zelem in the middle of the park.
Russo is currently leading the goalscoring chart at Man United this season, but she moved to the right wing to allow Thomas to play in the number nine role on Sunday, and Thomas could retain her place after getting on the scoresheet.
Reading Women possible starting lineup:
Moloney; Woodham, Cooper, Evans, Bryson; Eikeland, Rowe, Vanhaevermaet, Harding; Rose, Dowie
Manchester United Women possible starting lineup:
Earps; Blundell, Thorisdottir, Caldwell, Batlle; Zelem, Groenen; Galton, Toone, Russo; Thomas
We say: Reading Women 1-2 Manchester United Women
With an outside chance of getting into the top three come the end of the season, Reading are expected to really go for the three points in this game, suggesting that they will get on the scoresheet.
However, Man United have it all to lose as they currently occupy third spot, and if the Royals do come out and look to attack, there will be space in behind for Man United to exploit.
Top tip
Sammy Wynne
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Manchester United Women win with a probability of 51.9%. A draw had a probability of 24.6% and a win for Reading Women had a probability of 23.51%.
The most likely scoreline for a Manchester United Women win was 0-1 with a probability of 11.47%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (9.6%) and 0-2 (9.42%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (11.69%), while for a Reading Women win it was 1-0 (7.13%). The actual scoreline of 1-3 was predicted with a 5.3% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole and our data analysis both correctly predicted that Manchester United Women would win this match.
