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One win each - bragging rights up for grabs on Merseyside

Everton vs Liverpool - Saturday, kick-off 12pm, live on Sky Sports

Liverpool will be pleased to see a five-point cushion open up between themselves and the relegation spot - one they had occupied for much of the season so far. Although there are five games to go, the Reds look to have opened up a big enough gap to ensure their WSL status.

Everton too have improved under interim boss Scott Phelan, who has won three of his first four WSL matches and could become the very first manager to win four of his opening five WSL games in charge of the Toffees.

Goodison Park hasn't always been a happy home for Everton this season - although they have won the last two there in the WSL - but they will be hoping for the ultimate scalp of Liverpool this weekend.

The Toffees were big 4-1 winners at Anfield on the opening day of the season, but Liverpool had the better of their FA Cup fifth round tie a few weeks ago with a 2-1 victory.

So bragging rights are firmly up for grabs, as are three points that would surely confirm Liverpool as a WSL team next season.

Charlotte Marsh

Can anyone stop Manchester City?

Man Utd vs Man City - Saturday, kick-off 1.30pm

With an eight-point lead at the top of the WSL, it's hard to see anyone stopping Man City and their relentless pursuit of their first league title in 10 years.

But Manchester United will want to delay that - albeit briefly - with some kind of result on Saturday, if for nothing other than local bragging rights.

It will be back-to-back games at Old Trafford for them too after they also faced Bayern Munich in the Champions League at the ground on Wednesday evening - and Man City have stuttered on the road lately.

They have lost one and drawn one of their last two WSL away games and failed to score in both. Man City last went three in a row without victory away from home when losing their final three games of the 2022/23 campaign and have never failed to score in three straight in the WSL.

It's hard to see them doing so again this weekend, especially given they thrashed Tottenham 5-2 on Saturday - the fifth time they have scored five or more goals in a WSL game this season - and have had extra days of rest heading into the Manchester derby.

These games always add an extra dimension, and Man Utd will need to summon all of their derby spirit to keep Man City from another WSL win.

Charlotte Marsh

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Do you rest Little or is that too risky?

Arsenal vs Tottenham - Saturday, kick-off 5.30pm, live on Sky Sports

Kim Little is an Arsenal legend - and she's staying for a little bit longer. The Scot is an integral part to this Gunners team, which is recognised in her new contract.

Little and her industrious nature is defying logic at the age of 35. She is the only WSL player that averages over 90 per cent passing accuracy, and more than seven ball recoveries per game. She is the metronome of the team both on and off the ball.

Martin Ho sign new long-term deal: 'Spurs are a sleeping giant in women's football'

But do Arsenal need to manage her minutes, given the importance of the next few weeks? The Gunners have work to do to secure Champions League football for next season, but have a chance to back up last season's triumph by beating Chelsea in the quarter-finals of the same competition next week.

A two-goal lead against Chelsea is not enough, given the mentality monsters the Blues have in their squad. So even though she is a metronome, is this north London derby a good opportunity for Little to rest and recharge? Or is that too big a risk, given her importance?

Sam Blitz

Chelsea need a big boost against Aston Villa

Chelsea vs Aston Villa - Sunday, kick-off 12pm, live on Sky Sports

Sunday's match against Aston Villa comes at a critical moment in Chelsea's season.

They are in the middle of two games against Arsenal in the Champions League - losing the first leg 3-1 on Tuesday - and after a 1-1 draw against London City last weekend, they lost ground in the race to compete in Europe next season.

The Blues need a big performance and a big result on their return to Kingsmeadow to not only boost their confidence ahead of Wednesday's second leg, but also keep pace with the teams around them in the top four.

The remainder all play on Saturday, and Chelsea could be out of the European places by the end of the evening.

Aston Villa won't make it easy though, and have enjoyed games on the road recently. They have won more points in the league under Natalia Arroyo away (20) than at home (15), and have conceded just one goal in their last two away games.

Ultimately though, these are the games Chelsea should and expect to win, and it's vital that they do this weekend.

Charlotte Marsh

Could relegation battle go down to goal difference?

West Ham vs London City Lionesses - Sunday, kick-off 12pm, live on Sky Sports

The last time these two met, London City Lionesses profited on a howler from goalkeeper Kinga Szemik to earn a 1-0 win. It was a result that confirmed West Ham would be relegation candidates, and that London City weren't.

West Ham were winless then but their position now is slightly better. Rita Guarino has steadied the ship somewhat, but their position remains perilous.

The relegation battle, which this year sees bottom spot undergo a relegation play-off, could come down to goal difference. Leicester and West Ham are neck-and-neck on -26 and -25 respectively, with three points separating the two.

West Ham's 5-0 loss to Arsenal last time out referenced the necessity to not just get points, but if you lose - you have to lose 'well'. The last time the Hammers lost by that margin, it was to Chelsea in January and that sparked a mini-revival in terms of wins and points.

Guarino will be hoping that history repeats itself - not the reverse fixture against London City.

Sam Blitz

Leicester looking to right some wrongs against Brighton

Leicester vs Brighton - Sunday, kick-off 12pm, live on Sky Sports

Leicester will be looking to bounce back from a 2-1 home defeat to Aston Villa last weekend when they take on Brighton as the relegation play-off looms.

The Foxes currently sit bottom of the WSL, three points behind West Ham with five games remaining and could face the challenge of playing either Birmingham City, Crystal Palace, Newcastle United or Bristol City in a play-off.

In their last five matches, Rick Passmoor's side have managed to score just two goals, while conceding 14.

It follows a more concerning trend for the Foxes, who have only scored nine goals this season - the lowest in the league - and conceded 35.

Leicester will be looking to right some wrongs after the Foxes' last meeting with Brighton back in November, where they lost that game 4-1, with Shannon O'Brien scoring their consolation that day.

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There's no bigger boost ahead of one of your biggest games of the season against your local rivals than a managerial extension - but Tottenham and Martin Ho have done just that ahead of Saturday's trip to Arsenal in the WSL, live on Sky Sports.

The 35-year-old has signed a new long-term deal just nine months after he arrived at the club, having overseen quite a turnaround since Spurs finished in 11th place in the WSL last season.

Tottenham are currently fifth and at one point in the season, were disrupting the traditional top four as well as sitting ahead of Arsenal.

As the season has worn on, Ho points to consistency as one reason for a drop away from that European race, but he has certainly proven that, with a bit more work, Tottenham can become part of that elite WSL group.

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Ho has now been given the time and trust to do that work with a new contract, and it is one that caught him by surprise.

Discussing how the deal came about, he exclusively told Sky Sports: "Three or four weeks ago, Andy [Rodgers] dropped me a message and said 'can we catch up in the morning?' and naturally, when the managing director sends you that, you're thinking 'what's going on here?'.

"But he'd had meetings with the leadership team and the board and they were really pleased with what we're doing and the direction we're going in.

"They wanted to make sure I'm here for the longer term to work on this project and take it forward. They felt I was the person that could help them achieve what they want to achieve, which is nice to hear as a coach.

"Then you want to make sure that you can align on a lot of things and we align on absolutely everything. I absolutely love the staff and players I work with.

"I feel we actually have a lot going for us here and we're maybe a bit of a sleeping giant in women's football. It just needs that little bit of direction and polishing and we can really take big steps.

"That's a credit to everyone that's been before me that has enabled this club to be where it is, and I have a lot of respect for them.

"I'm really thankful to the ownership, the leadership that believe in me and have given me this opportunity. I want to make sure I can repay that faith by giving them some silverware."

It is perhaps a measure of Ho's own success that, with defeats to Everton and Manchester City in their last two games, it is the first time Spurs have registered back-to-back WSL losses under him.

Tottenham are almost in a bubble of their own in the table, currently six points from the Gunners in fourth, but nine ahead of everyone else. The improvement and ambition is clear, but the ceiling to those above them has not yet been smashed.

"We can't be comfortable where we're at because we're not," Ho said. "If you want to close that gap, you need consistency - that's the biggest thing for me.

"You can talk about players and all these other things, but actually consistency gets you in that position and the teams above you are there because of consistency.

"At the end of the season, where you finish is where you deserve to be and I always say to the players, persistence gets you there, but consistency keeps you there.

"We have to find a consistent level in our performance. If we find that as a team and individually, we can really push the bar.

"Maybe at times we've just been inconsistent with performance. We had a really good spell early [in the season], we've had a good spell when we've come back, and we've had a little dips in form, which naturally happens, and the responsibility is mine to make sure we don't have those dips."

There was no better demonstration of this than against Man City on Saturday. The WSL leaders stormed into a 5-1 first-half lead, but a far better performance from Spurs in the second half kept their opponents at bay.

In fact, Bethany England - who is set to make her 200th WSL appearance this weekend - scored the only goal after the break, but the inconsistency between halves was stark.

"It was a disappointing performance in the first half," Ho said. "We didn't get going, we weren't aggressive enough in our close duels, our one vs ones. We didn't defend the box for first contacts well enough and we didn't win enough of them. Even second phase, we didn't pick up enough.

"The second half was much more like us. We were more aggressive, we were closer in the duels to win the ball higher up and in our half, we defended the box well. We had so many opportunities with the ball, we were brave, we had a lot of individual brilliance, intuition and creativity in the middle parts of the pitch.

"Maybe by half-time, looking at the game, the pressure's then off the players because you're 5-1 down and you can play with a little bit more freedom and not something sitting on your shoulders.

"If we perform like we did in the second half, which we know we can do at a good level, then we can compete with a lot of teams.

"We need to make sure that we put that [second half] performance in every week. We can't allow ourselves to only have a 45-minute performance - we have to make sure that we're on it for 90, and at this level, if you don't do that, you get punished. We have to look at that as more of a wake-up call than an alarm."

Tottenham will be hoping to have one of the best 90 minutes of their season when they travel to Arsenal on Saturday, live on Sky Sports. Spurs held their North London rivals to a goalless draw in November, and will be hoping to hand Renee Slegers only her second loss in 21 games at the Emirates Stadium.

When asked - simply - how do Spurs go about beating Arsenal? Ho replied: "Score more goals than they do - that's probably the easiest way to do it.

"I enjoy these games and the players do too. You shouldn't have to motivate them for a North London derby - there should be a real pride and passion within to represent this club and play in these games.

"What we definitely have to do is make sure that we perform to a high level and maximise the potential in each individual, and if we play the way we want to play, we can be a match for anyone.

"We performed relatively well against them early on in the season at home and really took the game to them in the first half. We had to do a lot more defending in the second half, but it showed real character.

"That should give us belief that when we want to perform at that level, we can do it. The big thing for us is finding a consistency with that and not leaving it too long before we actually perform at a high level within the game."

The building blocks are there for Tottenham. Ho has quickly and effectively implemented his own ideas among a talented squad, with preparations to build on that next season rapidly gathering pace.

"We've got a really good foundation in place now to build from and the standards, the expectations, the playing style and the identity is really set so going into next year, it's how we can build on that growth and really evolve," Ho added.

"You have to evolve the squad if you want to progress and we will do that in the summer, but it's got to fit our dynamic as a team and with the person - their characteristics as an individual are really important.

"We will do business in the summer, we just need to make sure it's the right players in the right positions and by doing that, we will not only evolve as a squad, we'll have more competition and balance through the team."

Keep an eye on the sleeping giant. Before long, they might rise from their slumber to give those above them in the WSL something to think about.

Alessia Russo and Beth Mead surprised members of Arsenal's U9 community girls teams as the club launched their new documentary series 'Gunner Girls', saying it was 'great to be part of their journey' when meeting the youngsters.

Gunner Girls documents the mentoring of a local girls teams as Arsenal honours their community roots, where young players are supported in their first steps in football by players from the women's senior team, including Russo and Mead.

Arsenal themselves were founded by partnering with a local community team, Aylesbury Ladies in 1987 after amalgamating a programme for women and girls to play football in the town.

Russo, who recently totted up 100 appearances for the club, was quick to honour the humility of such days amid the players' hectic schedule as they continue to play in three competitions.

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"When you do things like this, it brings you back down," she told Sky Sports News. "Our world is crazy these days and we are so thankful for that, but when you get to do stuff like this, inspiring the next generation and seeing the girls, it means a little bit more."

The Gunners take on north London rivals Tottenham on Saturday in the WSL, live on Sky Sports. Spurs visit the Emirates after a 0-0 draw at Brisbane Road in November, with boss Martin Ho turning them into a formidable force this term.

Russo said of the game: "When I came to the club, I heard from Leah [Williamson], Lotte [Wubben-Moy] and Kim [Little] about what this game means and the weight it carries. We are excited for it to be at the Emirates, with all our fans there, it'll be a special day."

Arsenal have one of the largest and most vocal fanbases in the WSL and Mead knows they will again show up to help the Gunners this weekend.

She told Sky Sports News: "Keep being amazing - we've got the best fans in the world.

"They follow us home and away and you hear them, you know where they are and to be able to have them at the North London derby at the Emirates, keep that rivalry growing between us and the fans, it'll be fun."

There are sure to be some Gunner Girls - aspiring or otherwise - in the crowd on Saturday. Arsenal in the Communities women and girls coordinator, Billie Graham, was explained why programme was set up and its importance.

"Gunner Girls consists of nine novice girls who attended our Premier League programme," she told Sky Sports News.

"They had never played in a team before, but we put them together with four of our Arsenal Women first team players to capture and follow their journey.

"The staff really care and the players really care. Arsenal Ladies started in the community, and it's never left. We filmed this last year when Arsenal won the Champions League, and our players were winning the Euros with England - they still made time.

"Having their backing and belief and having female role models is massive. I know the players are big on it too because they also never had the opportunity for girls only teams when they were younger."

Roberto De Zerbi is not expected to join Tottenham - or any other club - before the end of the season, according to Sky in Italy.

The 46-year-old intends to avoid an immediate return to football after departing Marseille last month and will instead wait to evaluate his options in the summer.

This is not thought to be a specific refusal to join Tottenham, who have an interest in the former Brighton boss for the next permanent head coach, among a number of candidates.

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De Zerbi is confident in his choice, according to Sky in Italy, regardless of the offers and clubs that have contacted him since leaving Marseille - and this is why he is not expected to be back on the bench until next season.

It remains to be seen whether anything would cause him to change his mind, amid continued uncertainty over interim head coach Igor Tudor's position during the international break.

Spurs are believed to be considering all their options in the wake of another crippling home defeat at the hands of survival rivals Nottingham Forest which has left them one point above the relegation zone.

Postecoglou: I don't enjoy watching Spurs struggle - I'm still invested

Former Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou says he is finding it hard to watch the club struggle against Premier League relegation.

Coming up to a year after he won the Europa League as Spurs head coach, Postecoglou said what is currently happening should be "beyond the realms of possibility".

Speaking to Melbourne radio station SEN 1116, Postecoglou said: "I did watch it [Spurs' defeat to Nottingham Forest] - I'm still very much invested, particularly in Spurs because of the players and some of the staff there.

"We had two years together. You always have that attachment. If you had have told me in May last year that this would be the scenario of watching two teams I have managed in the last calendar year I would have said, 'no, that's beyond the realms of possibility'.

"I tuned in and I watched. It was an uncomfortable watch, I didn't enjoy it, that's for sure. It's not great [seeing Spurs in a fight]. I still have a really strong attachment to the club.

"It was two years and they were by no means easy years, but we invested a lot into them. Second-last game we won a European trophy which was an incredible high.

"The connection there will be there forever. To watch them struggle has not been easy and it's not the way I thought it would go. They're in a hell of a fight, relegation is massive for any club but for Tottenham, it's a pretty big deal.

"They have some fighting to do and they have the quality to get out. They need a circuit-breaker for sure."

Atleti not certain to act on long-standing Romero interest

Atletico Madrid are not certain to pursue Cristian Romero again this summer, Sky Sports News understands.

SSN has long reported on the Spanish club's interest, with a push to sign him taking place early last summer that was not successful.

Romero stayed and signed a new contract under the new head coach Thomas Frank, but there are again doubts about his future as Spurs near the end of one of their worst seasons on record.

Atletico manager Diego Simeone said recently he is a "big fan" of Romero ahead of their meeting in the Champions League last 16, which resulted in Atletico knocking Spurs out.

But sources in Spain have told Sky Sports News that not everyone involved in making decisions at Atletico is sold on the Argentina World Cup winner.

There are also several factors - such as his price, Spurs' Premier League status, and any determination on the part of the player to join them - that will be important to any move Atletico decide to make.

Sources in Spain believe Atletico would be reluctant to go beyond £26m (€30m) for the defender - despite his contract still running until 2029.

Romero - Tottenham's captain - said recently he is "focused" on trying to keep his side in the Premier League, with seven games to go.

"I have a lot of respect and affection for the club," Romero said. "I want to finish the season in the best way possible.

"We'll see later [about my future] but the most important thing now is to recover energy."

Romero is almost certain to attract interest from other big clubs if Atletico do ultimately decide to look elsewhere for a new centre-back.

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