Khadija Shaw opened her account for the Women's Super League season as Manchester City beat Brighton 1-0 to get their first win on the board.

Shaw was the runaway top scorer in the WSL last season, and she got up and running for the 2024-25 campaign with a neat close-range finish from Kerstin Casparij's low cross late in the first half of Sunday's clash at Joie Stadium.

Her goal was one of seven shots the Jamaican had throughout the contest, with Shaw having gone close on three occasions prior to breaking the deadlock.

Mary Fowler and Jessica Park both went close to extending City's lead after the break, while Lauren Hemp stung the palms of Sophie Baggaley.

The only disappointment for Gareth Taylor will have been that his side failed to make their dominance count for a second goal, with City mustering 3.03 expected goals (xG) to Brighton's 0.76.

"We got the job done," defender Alex Greenwood told BBC Sport.

"Sometimes in this league, you have to win ugly. I thought off the ball today we were better. Against Arsenal, we struggled with that at times, but we have worked really hard on that, and I thought we saw an improvement in that.

"This league is getting tougher and tougher every year, and we saw that with Brighton, it was a tough game. We take the win and the clean sheet all day."

Arsenal, who drew 2-2 with City last week, also got their first win on the board, with Frida Maanum's second-half strike proving decisive in a 1-0 defeat of Leicester City at the King Power Stadium.

Alessia Russo capitalised on an error from Catherine Bott, with the former Manchester United forward keeping her cool to set up Maanum for a simple finish, as Arsenal claimed a seventh straight WSL win over Leicester.

There was a thrilling finale in Aston Villa's clash with Tottenham, as three goals in 20 minutes saw the points shared in a 2-2 draw.

Spurs led through Eveliina Summanen's 23rd-minute penalty at Villa Park, but Adriana Leon and Rachel Daly flipped the match on its head.

However, Villa's hopes of claiming a memorable victory were dashed when Bethany England netted deep in second-half stoppage time.

Manchester United made it two wins from two as Grace Clinton's fourth-minute goal downed her former club Everton 1-0.

United goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce made good stops to deny Karoline Olesen and Inma Gabarro before the latter had to be taken off following a lengthy treatment for an injury.

West Ham, meanwhile, hit back late on to frustrate Liverpool in a 1-1 draw.

Liverpool's club-record signing Olivia Smith had put the Reds ahead early on, but a fine header from Riko Ueki ensured the spoils were shared.

Manchester City will face Champions League holders Barcelona in their first group-stage appearance in the competition after the draw was made on Friday. 

City, who were knocked out in first-round qualifying in the 2022-23 season by Real Madrid, will also face SKN St Polten of Austria and Swedish side Hammarby. 

Women's Super League champions Chelsea, who finished as runners-up in the 2020-21 edition, have been handed a tough draw to reach the knockout stages. 

Sonia Bompastor's side will face Celtic, who have reached this stage of the competition for the first time in their history, along with Real Madrid and FC Twente. 

Meanwhile, Arsenal, who sealed their spot in the group stage with an emphatic 4-1 aggregate win over Hacken, have also been dealt a difficult group. 

The Gunners will compete against German champions Bayern Munich, Italian giants Juventus and Norwegian side Valerenga in Group C. 

Lyon, who have won the competition a record eight times, have been placed in Group A alongside Wolfsburg, Roma and Galatasaray. 

Group A

Lyon, Wolfsburg, Roma and Galatasaray. 

Group B

Chelsea, Real Madrid, Twente and Celtic. 

Group C

Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Juventus and Valerenga. 

Group D 

Barcelona, Manchester City, SKN St. Polten and Hammarby. 

Arsenal booked their place in the Champions League group stage after overcoming a first-leg deficit to beat Hacken 4-0 at Meadow Park.

The first leg in Sweden threw up a shock 1-0 defeat, but Jonas Eidevall's side were up to the task, with Lia Walti and new signing Mariona Caldentey turning the scoreline on its head in the first half.

A brilliant strike from Beth Mead then ensured their progress, before substitute Frida Maanum added some more gloss to the scoreline late on.

The Gunners produced a much better performance in front of goal than in the reverse fixture. Arsenal may have had fewer shots on Thursday (14) and failed to convert any of their four big chances, but the emphatic scoreline is what matters most.

They join fellow Women's Super League side Manchester City in the draw, with Gareth Taylor's side cruising past Paris FC.

Their job was all but done after a crushing 5-0 win in the first leg, but Khadija Shaw's double, following Chloe Kelly's early opener, secured them an 8-0 aggregate win.

With another clean sheet under their belt in the competition, City have reached the group stage for the first time since 2020-21, when they fell to Barcelona in the quarter-finals.

There was more despair in the French capital as Paris Saint-Germain, last season's semi-finalists, suffered a shock defeat to Juventus.

PSG have reached at least the quarter-finalists in each of the last five seasons and were mainstays in the competition, but after suffering a 3-1 loss in Turin, their hopes of a comeback were soon squashed.

Sofia Cantore scored just two minutes in to set Juve on course for a 2-1 victory in the game, and a 5-2 aggregate scoreline, getting their name in the hat for the first time in two years.

Elsewhere, Real Madrid secured their place in the competition, as did Celtic, who will play in the Champions League group stage for the first time since it was introduced in 2020-21 after a 3-0 aggregate win over Vorskla Poltava.

And a special mention for Roma, who emphatically brushed aside Servette 7-2 in the second leg to secure a 10-3 aggregate victory.

Arsenal head coach Jonas Eidevall has confirmed Leah Williamson will miss Thursday's Women's Champions League second-round tie against Hacken due to concussion protocol.

Williamson did not feature in the Gunners' 2-2 draw with Manchester City on Sunday, and is one of three absentees unavailable for the must-win game with Hacken at Meadow Park. 

Eidevall also revealed that both Steph Catley and Lina Hurtig will also miss the game against the Swedish side. 

The visitors hold a 1-0 advantage going into the second leg, with Tabitha Tindell's goal enough for the victory at the Bravida Arena last week. 

"I don't have a timeframe on Leah's injury at the moment. It's guided by our medical team," Eidevall said. 

"When I have something more concrete to communicate, I will do that. She sustained the concussion during an incident in training.

"If we don't qualify, I would definitely consider that a failure. We need to get into the groups."

The latest instalment of the Women's Super League returns this weekend, with the opening round of fixtures offering plenty of insight as to what this season may hold. 

Sonia Bompastor started her quest for Chelsea's sixth straight title with a triumph against Aston Villa, with the Blues again kickstarting the action on matchday two.

The defending champions make the short journey to Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace, while Sunday's action features both Manchester City and Arsenal after their enthralling encounter at the Emirates. 

Elsewhere, Manchester United will be hoping to build on their emphatic first week showing against Everton, with Liverpool and West Ham squaring off in their attempts to get their respective campaigns up and running. 

But who does the Opta supercomputer predict will emerge victorious this time around? 

CRYSTAL PALACE V CHELSEA

Bompastor started her tenure as Chelsea head coach with a win, but the Blues were made to work for their triumph at Kingsmeadow in last week's curtain-raiser. 

However, Chelsea remain overwhelming favourites to stay perfect against newly-promoted Crystal Palace, winning 88.4% of the supercomputer's pre-match simulations, compared to 7.3% for their opponents.

Chelsea have also won each of their last eight games without conceding when facing an opponent for the first time in the WSL, last losing 4-0 away to Sunderland in July 2015.

But despite their dominance under Emma Hayes, the Blues have failed to win their opening away game in each of the last six WSL seasons (D4 L2), since beating the Black Cats 6-0 in the 2017-18 campaign.

MANCHESTER CITY V BRIGHTON

On Sunday, Brighton are the opponents as Gareth Taylor's City aim to get their first win on the board following last week's 2-2 draw at Arsenal.

Despite the visitors starting their own campaign with a 4-0 triumph against Everton, the Seagulls are handed just a 4.5% chance of a victory in our pre-match simulations, with the Citizens given a huge 87.3% win probability. 

However, City hold a favourable record over their opponents, winning nine of their 11 WSL meetings with Brighton, but they did lose this exact fixture last season 1-0 (D1). 

Vivianne Miedema found the net on her Citizens debut last week, and she has had a hand in 15 goals in 10 games against Brighton (seven goals and eight assists) with only Miedema herself against Bristol City (14 goals and five assists) having more goals and assists combined against a single club in WSL history.

EVERTON V MANCHESTER UNITED 

After putting West Ham to the sword in their opening game of the new season, United arrive at Walton Hall Park with confidence ahead of facing Everton. 

The Red Devils have been given a 58.7% chance of emerging victorious, while the Toffees are predicted at 20.2% to win, with the likelihood of a draw coming in at 21.1%.

United have won their opening away game in each of their last four WSL seasons, including all three under Marc Skinner, while also prevailing in four of their five away league games against Everton, including a 5-0 win in this fixture last season, their biggest ever success on the road in the competition.

Everton have never beaten United in 10 previous WSL meetings (D2 L8), with Man City the only other team the Toffees have failed to beat in the competition (P16 L16).

LEICESTER V ARSENAL

After a thrilling encounter with Man City last time out, Jonas Eidevall's Arsenal travel to the King Power Stadium to face Leicester, looking to get their title charge up and running.

The visitors are assigned a 74.7% chance of a win, with the Foxes victorious in 11% of our pre-match simulations and 14.3% finishing all square.

One player for Leicester to watch out for will be Alessia Russo. She has scored in each of her last four WSL appearances against the Foxes, including a hat-trick for Man United last year – the striker has scored more top-flight goals against the Foxes (six) than any other opponent.  

The Foxes have lost all six of their WSL games against Arsenal by an aggregate scoreline of 23-2, conceding four or more goals in four of those games.

WEST HAM V LIVERPOOL 

Following on from the men's EFL Cup clash in midweek, West Ham's women welcome Liverpool to the Chigwell Construction Stadium, with both in search of three points.

But it is the Reds who are favoured in the pre-match simulations, winning 46.2% of those, while the Hammers are given a 29.2% chance of a win, with a draw given a 24.6% chance of happening. 

West Ham have won just one of their last 17 home matches in the WSL (D7 L9), having won six of their previous 17 such games in the competition (D4 L7).

But Liverpool have not enjoyed recent trips to the capital, winning just one of their last 12 away WSL games in London (D3 L8), beating Arsenal 1-0 at the Emirates last year.

ASTON VILLA V TOTTENHAM

The weekend's action concludes at Villa Park, with Aston Villa's gutsy showing against defending champions Chelsea making them favourites against Tottenham. 

Robert de Pauw's side were victorious in 43.8% of our pre-match simulations. Spurs are given a 29.4% chance of victory, and 26.8% chance of earning a point. 

Spurs, however, are unbeaten in their last three away games in the WSL (W2 D1) with their final two matches on the road last season ending 2-2 (vs. Man United and Everton) - no team has ever avoided defeat in three consecutive away games in the competition when also conceding multiple goals.

Villa have lost just one of their last five WSL meetings against this weekend's opponents (W3 D1), but that sole loss did come in this fixture last season, losing 4-2 at the Bescot Stadium.

Arsenal and Manchester City played out a thrilling 2-2 draw in their opening Women's Super League clash on Sunday.

The WSL's all-time top scorer Vivianne Miedema marked her City debut with a goal against her former club at the Emirates Stadium, where Beth Mead snatched a share of the spoils late on.

Miedema's deflected effort in the 42nd minute cancelled out Frida Maanum's early opener.

Maanum's close-range strike came just 45 seconds after Miedema had arrowed a shot wide after capitalising on slack play from her former team.

Caitlin Foord had a goal narrowly disallowed for offside early in the second half, and Arsenal's frustrations were compounded when Jessica Park put City ahead with a stunning effort from the edge of the box, with the ball clipping in off the underside of the crossbar.

Yet Arsenal fought back in the 81st minute as Mead nudged in on the rebound after Rosa Kafaji struck the woodwork.

Data Debrief: Sweet sixteen for Miedema

It just had to be her. Former Arsenal heroine Miedema has now scored against all 16 of the opponents she has faced in the WSL, with Bethany England (18/18) the only player to hold a better 100% such record in the competition.

But Mead had the final say. She is the leading goalscorer in the history of the WSL when it comes to the opening weekend, having now netted eight such goals.

The Women's Super League returns with a bang this weekend, with upheaval at the top of the table offering the promise of another thrilling campaign.

Chelsea gave Emma Hayes a triumphant send-off by edging out Manchester City on goal difference for their fifth straight title, but will former Lyon coach Sonia Bompastor be able to replicate her success?

Aston Villa are the opponents for her first game at the helm on Friday, while Sunday's action features a huge clash between potential title challengers Arsenal and City.

Elsewhere, Manchester United start their bid to improve on last season's disappointing fifth-placed finish against West Ham, while newly promoted Crystal Palace face a tough trip to Tottenham.

But who does the Opta supercomputer expect to start 2024-25 with three points?

CHELSEA V ASTON VILLA

Unsurprisingly, given their recent dominance of the division, Chelsea are overwhelming favourites to beat Villa – who finished seventh in 2023-24 – in Friday's curtain-raiser. 

They won 85.1% of the supercomputer's pre-match simulations, with Villa given just a 5.5% chance of victory and the draw deemed a 9.5% likelihood. 

Kingsmeadow was a real fortress under Hayes, and Bompastor will be desperate to retain the fear factor in her debut season. Chelsea have won 35 of their last 37 home league games, drawing one and losing one.

The Blues have, however, only won two of their six opening matches of a WSL campaign as the reigning champions, drawing two and losing two. One of those victories did come last term, though, as they beat Tottenham 2-1 at Stamford Bridge.

MANCHESTER UNITED V WEST HAM

Old Trafford plays host to the first of two games on Saturday, as Marc Skinner's United take on West Ham, looking to kick on after ending a largely disappointing 2023-24 campaign with FA Cup glory.

They are assigned a 71.5% chance of a win, with West Ham victorious in 12.6% of our pre-match simulations and 15.9% finishing all square.

This will, of course, be United's first league game since Mary Earps departed for Paris Saint-Germain. The Red Devils suffered their heaviest-ever WSL defeat in her final game, going down 6-0 to Chelsea on home soil on the final day of last season. 

Phallon Tullis-Joyce will hope for a quiet outing after stepping up to replace Earps as number one, and she may get her wish against a West Ham side that accumulated a miserable 15 points last term. Their seven away losses in 2023-24 was a joint-high among all WSL teams (also Bristol City).

BRIGHTON V EVERTON

Just one place and four points separated Everton from Brighton in the final standings, and the supercomputer struggles to separate them ahead of their clash at Broadfield.

The Toffees are slight favourites with a 40.6% win probability, compared to Brighton's 33.7%, while 25.7% of the supercomputer's pre-match simulations finished level.

Everton will hope to continue their momentum from the end of 2023-24, having ended the season on a four-game unbeaten streak (two wins, two draws), their longest of the campaign. They could go five without losing for the first time since October 2020.

Brighton's major arrival ahead of the new season is Chelsea great Fran Kirby, who has five goal involvements in eight WSL appearances against Everton, scoring on both of her starts versus them.

ARSENAL V MANCHESTER CITY

The headline fixture of the opening matchday takes place at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, as two of the sides most likely to challenge Chelsea for their crown – Arsenal and City – go head-to-head.

The supercomputer makes the Gunners favourites on home soil, with Jonas Eidevall's team winning 42.6% of our pre-match simulations. City are assigned a 30.7% chance of victory, and a 26.7% chance of earning a point.

Vivianne Miedema's move from Arsenal to City has added further intrigue to this fixture. She netted 80 times in 106 league appearances for Arsenal to become the WSL's all-time leading scorer, netting against all 15 opponents she has faced in the competition. Arsenal will be the 16th different team she has faced – will she return to haunt them?

City have won each of their last eight away league games, with the only longer such run in WSL history also being by City – a 12-match sequence between July 2016 and January 2018.

Arsenal, though, have won each of their last three WSL meetings with City, and they boast the most prolific player in the history of the opening matchday in the competition, with Beth Mead previously hitting seven goals on the first weekend, including two braces.

TOTTENHAM V CRYSTAL PALACE

Crystal Palace edged out Charlton Athletic to win the Women's Championship title last season, reaching the WSL for the first time. They will be the 19th different team to compete in the division and the first debutants since Leicester City in 2021.

Excluding the inaugural 2011 campaign, only one of 10 teams has ever won their first WSL match, Sunderland beating Liverpool 2-1 in 2015 (one draw, eight defeats).

The Eagles are not given much hope of replicating that feat by the Supercomputer, which assigns them just an 11.5% chance of victory to Tottenham's 72.7%. The draw is given a 15.8% likelihood.

Tottenham have a decent record on the opening day, too, only starting one of their last four WSL campaigns with a defeat (two wins, one draw), which came against champions Chelsea last season. 

LIVERPOOL V LEICESTER CITY

Matt Beard is the only coach among the 12 WSL teams to have previously won the title, and his Liverpool side ended a promising 2023-24 campaign in fourth. They will be confident of getting underway with a win this term, with the supercomputer giving them a 60.2% chance of beating Leicester.

The Foxes, who would have been in relegation trouble if not for Bristol City's struggles last term, are given an 18.9% chance of victory, and a 20.9% likelihood of earning a draw.

Liverpool and Leicester also met on the final day of last term, the Reds winning 4-0. Seven teams have previously met on the final matchday of one WSL campaign and the opening weekend of the next, but only three have won both such meetings (Man City v Notts County, Tottenham v Birmingham, and Tottenham v Leicester).

Only Arsenal (nine) and Chelsea (seven) have won their opening game of a WSL season more often than Liverpool (six), who have started four campaigns with a victory under Beard (one defeat).

The Women's Super League is set for a shake-up this season after serving up one of the tightest title races in recent history.

Chelsea pipped Manchester City to the crown on goal difference last season, sending Emma Hayes off with a fifth consecutive WSL triumph, and her seventh overall.

But Sonia Bompastor is in the hot seat now, and her Chelsea team will kick off the new season on September 20 against Aston Villa, who are also under new management.

The first heavyweight clash of the season is just two days later, with City and Arsenal facing off at the start of their title challenges, with both keen to dethrone Chelsea.

The season promises twists and turns, but will it throw up any surprises? Or will it be business as usual?             

Will Chelsea's reign finally come to an end?

Hayes may not be in West London any more, having swapped Chelsea for the United States, but her dominant legacy remains as Bompastor, a seasoned winner herself, takes the reins.

Having won three Division 1 Feminine league titles as Lyon manager, the Opta supercomputer is backing her to lead Chelsea (59.8%) to an incredible sixth WSL trophy in a row. No manager has ever won the WSL in their first season, and to do so would certainly begin her own legacy.

The team scored 71 goals in the WSL last term, setting a new record for a 22-game season, outperforming an expected goals figure of 59.87, which was still the highest accumulated tally of any team in the league, bettering Arsenal's 55.48 xG.

The likes of Lauren James and Aggie Beever-Jones are likely to prove pivotal at the top end of the pitch once again, but they have game-changers all over the pitch.

Niamh Charles has proven instrumental from left-back, making the second-most passes (1,220, of which 982 were successful) of all Chelsea players behind Jess Carter, who is no longer at the club. She also contested 210 duels, with only Erin Cuthbert (220) taking on more, but no player won more than her 130.

But having come so close to seeing their title streak end last season, they face another tough test to defend their crown, as both Arsenal and Man City will be keen to take advantage of Hayes' departure.

City finished as runners-up for the sixth time and are predicted to endure the same fate again come May, with a 23.5% chance of clinching the title as we start the season.

City's defensive sturdiness proved to be a valuable asset last term and was one of the reasons they ran Chelsea so close. They conceded the fewest goals in the league (15), outperforming their expected goals against figure (19.89 xGA).

That is partly due to the form of Khiara Keating, who scooped the Golden Glove in her breakout season after keeping nine clean sheets. She had the best save percentage (79.45%) of any goalkeeper in the league to play more than 10 games.

All the WSL teams have bolstered their ranks in the off-season, but none of the deals have stood out quite like City's early swoop to bring in Vivianne Miedema, who left Arsenal as a free agent.

Taylor has already acknowledged that the Dutchwoman could be the key to ending their long wait for a league title, and who could blame him?

Miedema has scored 80 WSL goals in 106 games, outperforming her 59.63 xG. She has also had the most shots on record since Opta began collecting such data for the competition, with 452, and 198 of those have hit the target. 

And she will be sharing the spotlight with Khadija Shaw, who stole the show last time around, clinching her first Golden Boot since joining the club by netting 21 goals.

The Jamaican bettered her xG total by nearly 10 goals (12.31) and scored 11 of the 25 big chances that fell her way in the competition.

She now has 50 WSL goals in just 57 games for City, and with her tally improving year-on-year, she will surely be a key player for the Citizens once again.

Meanwhile, Arsenal may have slipped out of the title race on the home stretch last year after dropping valuable away points in a 3-1 defeat to Chelsea and a 1-1 draw with Everton, but Jonas Eidevall's side should not be counted out, despite being assigned just a 14.9% chance of getting their hands on the trophy.

Arsenal, who will be playing at the Emirates Stadium this season, are already a formidable home team, having lost only one such game last campaign (1-0 to Liverpool on the opening day), but a capacity crowd could be the extra boost they need.

A lot of the onus for goals will likely fall on Alessia Russo's shoulders after she finished as their top scorer in the WSL last season (12), but Stina Blackstenius' tally in all competitions had her beat.

The Swede's goals have proved invaluable to Arsenal over the years, and last year alone, she earned them a 1-0 win over Chelsea in the Conti Cup final, before her double over Man City effectively ended their rivals' title hopes.

Blackstenius has the best shots-per-90 ratio in the top-flight (5.5), managing 41 efforts in her 666 minutes on the field, and netting seven goals from those.

Manchester United, the runners-up in 2022-23, may have endured an underwhelming campaign last time around, but they are still being given a slim 1.8% chance of causing an upset to claim their first WSL title.

Marc Skinner led them to their first piece of major silverware in the FA Cup, but with some big-name departures, they will need to gel quickly to stand a chance of mounting a real challenge.

And while the Opta supercomputer does not believe they can do it, everybody loves a dark horse, and Liverpool could find themselves in the mix coming off a fourth-placed finish.

Matt Beard is the only current manager in the league to have won a WSL title, so that experience could prove vital, especially if the Reds get off to a strong start.

Managerial merry-go-round keeps spinning

Unsurprisingly, all the talk before the season is about Bompastor and the big shoes she has to fill.

Bompastor won exactly 100 of her 118 games in charge of Lyon, registering an 84.75% win ratio and losing only eight times. Her Lyon team scored 381 goals, averaging 3.81 per match while conceding only 71 in return (0.71 per game).

Chelsea have brought in a manager they hope can win them the one thing Hayes never could: the Champions League, which Bompastor won with Lyon. The elusive trophy will be high on their priority list, but Blues fans will be hoping it is not at the expense of another league title.

Bompastor will not be the only manager making her WSL bow on September 20, as she will face off against Robert de Pauw, Carla Ward's replacement at Villa.

De Pauw, joining after two years at Bayer Leverkusen, has been clever in his recruitment, replacing Alisha Lehmann and Simone Magill with exciting up-and-coming talents that could see them push for a place towards the top once again.

But perhaps De Pauw's biggest challenge will be to get Rachel Daly back to her high-scoring best after she managed just eight goals in the WSL last time around.

Daly was 2022-23's surprise package, enjoying a superb campaign by netting 22 goals to clinch the Golden Boot, holding off the likes of Shaw to get her hands on the award.

There have been changes at the other end of the table, too.

Brighton have welcomed Dario Vidosic from Melbourne City as they look to stave off relegation, and the manager may have quite the task on his hands.

However, his 54.55% win rate in the A-League from 25 matches (12 wins) is a promising sign, with the team averaging 1.86 points per game under the 37-year-old.

Meanwhile, Leicester City, who finished 10th last season, have brought in Amandine Miquel from Reims after seven years at the club, which included a promotion to the French top-flight.

The Foxes are tipped to be fighting for survival, and Miquel has warned fans they will need to trust the process while she tries to impress a "strong tactical identity" onto the squad, with her first aim surely to improve on the four wins they accumulated last campaign.

Who's In and Who's Out

Miedema's departure looked like it might spell trouble for Arsenal, but the Gunners have been savvy with their transfer dealings.

Young winger Rosa Kafaji is an exciting up-and-coming talent, but they also added a Champions League winner of their own, getting Mariona Caldentey on a free transfer from Barcelona.

Caldentey scored 10 goals in the league last season, also laying on nine assists, the third-highest tally in the competition, while her 57 chances created were only bettered by Caroline Hansen (85).

With Daphne van Domselaar also joining from Aston Villa to strengthen their goalkeeping position, Arsenal have given themselves a strong foundation to build success this campaign despite the loss of Miedema.

Chelsea have also been busy, strengthening their defence by bringing in serial winner Lucy Bronze.

The right-back has won every domestic trophy available in France, Spain and England, having left Barcelona after scooping an impressive quadruple, which included her fifth Champions League title.

Bronze created 28 chances for Barca last season from full-back – the second-most of any defender for the European champions, after Ona Batlle.

Man United, on the other hand, have drawn attention for the wrong reasons.

They started the off-season by announcing that club captain Katie Zelem, who created the most chances of any player in the WSL last season (58), Lucia Garcia and Mary Earps were all leaving after their contracts expired.

Grace Clinton is back, however, after her breakout season at Tottenham and will hope to link up with fellow lioness Ella Toone.

To add to United fans' transfer misery, experienced forward Nikita Parris also left the club in deadline day's biggest story, choosing to switch to a Brighton team and a likely relegation battle.

She will be playing alongside Fran Kirby, with Chelsea's all-time leading goalscorer leaving as a free agent at the end of last season.

Last campaign, she played just 897 minutes across 21 appearances in the league, but still managed to create 31 chances (the 11th-best tally in the league), with 10 of those considered 'big' chances.

Kirby won seven WSL titles under Hayes at Chelsea, and though she may not be pushing for silverware this time around, her experience could prove invaluable, along with Parris', as Vidosic looks to find his footing in a new league.

New kids on the block

Crystal Palace are just days away from embarking on their first-ever WSL season, with Laura Kaminski leading them to promotion from the Women's Championship in her first year in charge.

They finished top of the pile with 46 points, a 12-point improvement on their previous season, while they only suffered four defeats compared to 10 in 2022-23.

Kaminski immediately made Palace harder to beat, and they conceded just 20 goals in the league last season. But there was also huge progress at the other end of the pitch, with Palace scoring a league-high 55 goals, 16 more than Southampton in second.

The Eagles have seen a high turnover in the transfer window, bringing in eight new players and saying goodbye to eight, and they will not be eased into WSL action, with FA Cup runners-up Tottenham first up for them.

They are not the favourites to go down, though they are given a 20.2% chance of dropping straight back into the second tier – with four teams seen to be firmly in the relegation scrap.

The Opta supercomputer may show slight favour to the newcomers, but Brighton are not so lucky, with a 26.4% chance of finishing bottom of the table.

The unpredictability of their new coach coupled with a lot of changes to their squad is likely the reason for that unfavourable forecast, but as touched on before, the acquisitions of Kirby and Parris could turn the tide.

However, there are issues that need to be addressed quickly. Brighton lost the joint-second most games in the WSL last year (13), with only relegated Bristol City suffering more defeats.

The Seagulls netted just 26 times last season, the third-lowest tally, from a total of 208 shots (including blocks), and though they bettered their xG tally of 21.91, improving their creativity will surely be high on Vidosic's priority list.

In any other season, West Ham could have been in real danger of going down, but Bristol's struggles meant their 15 points were enough to secure another year in the top-flight in 2023-24.

Like Brighton, they lost 13 of their matches but only managed to get three wins on the board in Rehanne Skinner's first campaign at the helm.

One reason for their struggles was a lack of firepower, as they only scored 20 goals, level with the Robins, netting around three fewer goals than expected (22.92 xG).

They are being given a 19.2% chance of going down, and though Skinner will be hoping they can improve on her first year, having lost Mackenzie Arnold and Hawa Cissoko, it is likely they will be in the relegation fight once more.

Leicester are also tipped as candidates to drop, with a 21.9% chance, not helped by their stumbling finish to the WSL last season, in which they failed to win any of their last eight matches.

That run was compounded by a 4-0 defeat to Liverpool on the final day, and with the Reds first up for them this time around, they will be desperate to put in a better showing in Miquel's first outing.

Arsenal are facing an uphill battle after a surprise defeat in their Women's Champions League qualifier, though there was no such shock for Manchester City.

Jonas Eidevall's side were defeated 1-0 in the first leg away to Hacken on Wednesday, leaving a comeback needed in the reverse fixture next Thursday.

An error from visiting defender Katie McCabe, who missed a clearance from a diagonal pass, led to Tabitha Tindell's 77th-minute winner at Bravida Arena.

Arsenal face Man City in the Women's Super League between the two Hacken clashes, and Gareth Taylor's side will head into that domestic fixture with growing confidence from a fine European showing.

City ran out comfortable 5-0 winners away to Paris FC, with Vivianne Miedema scoring the opener on her competitive debut for the club.

Jess Park doubled the lead shortly after, and added a second to her own account later on, along with goals for Mary Fowler and Chloe Kelly in a one-sided outing in France.

Elsewhere in the qualifiers, Juventus secured a 3-1 first-leg lead in a battle of two heavyweights with Paris Saint-Germain.

New signing Amalie Vangsgaard opened the scoring against her former club before Thiniba Samoura levelled with a sumptuous equaliser soon after.

Sofia Cantore set up Juve's first and found the net for the home side's second to restore their lead, before Hanna Bennison wrapped up a fine team move to seal a commanding advantage.

There was no such fortune for Juve's fellow Italian side Fiorentina, however, as Wolfsburg produced a 7-0 hammering in the first leg at Viola Park.

Wolfsburg captain Alexandra Popp dominated with a hat-trick, along with a brace from defender Marina Hegering and goals for Jule Brand and Vivien Endemann.

Jonas Eidevall wished former Arsenal forward Vivianne Miedema all the best after her move to Manchester City, as the Gunners prepare for the upcoming Women's Super League season.

Arsenal are set to begin life without the WSL's all-time leading scorer, who left the club after netting 80 times in 106 appearances during her seven-year spell.

Miedema also holds the WSL record for most shots (452), efforts on target (198), touches in the opposition box (816) and goals from inside the area (70).

In WSL history, only Bethany England (48) has converted more big chances than the Netherlands international (44), while Miedema has also provided 35 assists.

Ironically, Miedema's first WSL appearance for her new club will come against Arsenal on September 22, two days after the start of the new campaign on Friday, September 20, for which Eidevall is now focused on getting his current squad ready.

Speaking at the Barclay's WSL's 2024-25 season launch Media Day, he told Stats Perform: "Of course, Vivianne Miedema has had a really good history at Arsenal, some really good contributions to the club. 

"Then, you come to a point where you need to say, what does the squad need here now for the next season? We prioritise these players that we now have in the squad.

"[We] wish Viv all the best. I think she's going to have a really good and successful season with Manchester City, but we're really happy and content with the squad that we have."

Arsenal are aiming to improve on last term's third-place finish, and Eidevall wants his players to produce high-quality performances on a more frequent basis.

"We need to keep our highs that we had last season," he added. 

"I think we showed - both with performances and results against the teams that were finishing at the top of the league - that we were a really good football team, but we lacked the consistency.

"So, we need to keep our highs, but we need to raise our lows from last season. That's not easy, but if we can do that, then we can be winning."

Arsenal, Manchester City and Celtic found out their opponents for the Women's Champions League qualifying second round on Monday. 

All three will play the first leg away from home, with Jonas Eidevall's side, who beat Rangers and Rosenborg to reach this stage of the tournament, facing BK Hacken. 

The Swedish side reached the quarter-finals last year for the first time in the competition since the 2012-13 edition.

BK Hacken also played Arsenal in the last eight of the tournament during the 2011-12 season, with the Gunners winning 3-2 on aggregate. 

Man City kickstart their Champions League campaign after finishing second in the Women's Super League last term against Paris FC.

The French side beat Real Madrid home and away last year but finished third in a group that contained Chelsea and BK Hacken. 

Celtic were the only British team to be involved in the Champions Path draw and will face Ukrainian champions Vorskla Poltava.

The first legs of the two-legged ties will take place on September 18 and 19, with the returns on September 25 and 26.

Those that emerge victorious in the round-two qualifying fixtures will progress to the group stages of the competition, joining Barcelona, Lyon, Bayern Munich and Chelsea.

Jonas Eidevall is unhappy with the level of care shown by UEFA and the Women's Super League when it comes to the fixture schedule.

Arsenal beat Rosenborg 1-0 on Saturday to seal their place in the second round of qualifying for the Women's Champions League.

They will face either Juventus, BK Hacken, Paris FC, Fiorentina or Sporting CP in a two-legged tie.

Those matches will take place on either 18-19 September and 25-26 September, which means Arsenal will play five matches in the space of two-and-a-half weeks when factoring in the start of the WSL campaign.

From next season, English clubs will avoid the mini-league qualifying format as UEFA introduces a new structure, and Eidevall, whose team also played on Wednesday, believes the current guise is damaging to player welfare.

"Now we're through it, I can say it – it's lucky an English team will not have to play in these mini-tournaments again. For all the excitement, it is a relic from the past," said Eidevall.

"This is just done from a budget perspective. That’s why they cram it in on Saturdays, to save another hotel night [by playing on a Sunday].

"All research around the world shows there’s a massive difference between 72 hours and 96 hours recovery after a game. That part, I just can't get my head around.

"That's just science. WSL has zero concerns about it, UEFA has zero concerns about it. It impacts injury risk. It's the same in the men's game.

"It's just that science is one thing and broadcasting money is another thing.

"You always need to get on with things. It's not an excuse, it's just scientific."

Arsenal kick-off their WSL season against Manchester City on September 22.

Frida Maanum's first-half strike ensured Arsenal progressed to the second round of Women's Champions League qualifying after a 1-0 win over Rosenborg.

Maanum netted the only goal of the game in the 19th minute after Caitlin Foord saw her cross spilled by Rugile Rulyte, with Maanum on hand to finish from close range. 

The Gunners could have made the encounter more comfortable as Alessia Russo's header came back off the crossbar to conclude a dominant first half.

Arsenal struck the woodwork a further two times after the interval, through Russo and Kyra Cooney-Cross, with Leah Williamson also seeing her header cleared off the line.

But Jonas Eidevall's side were able to restrict their opponents to very little, with the hosts ending the contest with 30 shots, though only five of those were on target.

Arsenal go through to the next stage of the next stage of the competition, which is a knockout tie played across two legs.

Caitlin Foord helped herself to four goals as Arsenal trounced Rangers 6-0 to progress from their first Women's Champions League qualification tie on Wednesday.

Arsenal failed to qualify for the Champions League proper last season after being beaten on penalties by Paris FC in qualifying, but they navigated the first hurdle of their 2024-25 campaign with ease at Meadow Park.

Playing their first competitive game of the season, Arsenal were just one goal to the good at half-time as Foord nodded in a cross from debutant Mariona Caldentey, but they put their foot down after the break to pull clear.

Foord tapped in a close-range second before Alessia Russo drilled into the bottom corner just a minute later, and the former had her hat-trick with 21 minutes to play, hammering a volley past Lizzie Arnot after pulling off to the far post.

The Gunners were not done there as Kim Little dispatched a late penalty, and there was to be more joy for Foord in stoppage time as she prodded home the rebound following a strong Arnot save.

Jonas Eidevall's team must still navigate a first-round final versus Rosenborg – which will take place on Saturday – and a second-round tie, if they are to make the group stage.

The 2024-25 Women's Super League will have fans excited at the prospect of new managers right across the league.

Four of the 12 clubs involved will have new bosses in the dugout when the campaign begins in mid-September.

The most hotly anticipated of those newcomers is Sonia Bompastor, who will be following on from the Emma Hayes dynasty and trying to create her own era of success at Chelsea.

In the last decade, Chelsea found the winning formula that brought silverware galore. Hayes won 15 trophies during her 12 years as manager, cementing the club’s complete dominance of the domestic competitions in England. 

That haul included a last-gasp push for the WSL title last season, as the Blues pipped Manchester City to the post.

Opta's supercomputer is backing Chelsea for the title, but Bompastor certainly has big shoes to fill.

The recipe to success

The success that Bompastor must try and replicate will be no mean feat for the new Blues boss. However, she has won one trophy as a player and a manager that Chelsea were never able to under Hayes: the Champions League.

The former France international is also no stranger to pressure and expectations having played in and managed arguably the most successful women's team of all time in the Champions League.

She captained Lyon to victory in 2011 and 2012 and went one better in 2016 to become the first person to win the famous competition as both a player and a manager. 

Bompastor's list of honours is significant as a player. She won eight Division 1 Feminine league titles, six with Lyon and two with Montpellier, she won the Coupe de France four times, and the Champions League twice.

As a manager, she won three league titles and one French Cup in her time as coach of Lyon. She has the mindset of a serial winner and, after Hayes, Chelsea could hope for nothing less in a new boss. 

Bompastor won exactly 100 of her 118 games in charge of Lyon, registering an 84.75% win percentage and losing only eight times.

Her Lyon team scored 381 goals, an average of 3.81 per match, while conceding only 71 in return (0.71 per game). Bompastor's numbers truly speak for themselves and are the reason Chelsea made her the number one candidate to replace Hayes and lead what they hope will be a new era of success. 

A new champion?

The WSL is notoriously a difficult hunting ground for new managers. No manager in the competition's history has ever won the WSL in their first season in charge. There have also only ever been five winners of the competition.

Bompastor's predecessor Hayes won seven, Laura Harvey and Matt Beard have two titles each, while Nick Cushing and Joe Montemurro lifted the trophy once apiece.

It means we have an interesting quirk in the new season, with Liverpool boss Beard being the only active manager to have won the WSL title among all the current bosses.

But Bompastor will still face stiff competition, as her main rivals in Jonas Eidevall, Marc Skinner and Gareth Taylor have all taken Hayes to the wire in recent seasons as the league continues its explosion of expansion, growth and increased competitiveness.

Bompastor came so close to securing a second Champions League medal last time out with her Lyon side ultimately falling just short when they faced a formidable Barcelona team who made their own piece of history by securing a quadruple, becoming the first team to do this since Arsenal in 2007.

Her ability to navigate and win at all costs could bring a new chapter of success for Chelsea. 

Bompastor's Blues...champions breed champions

The new Chelsea boss has been left with solid foundations as she aims to win the WSL at the first time of asking. Bompastor is taking over a team that scored 71 goals in the WSL last term, 10 more than any other team, while only Man City (15) conceded fewer goals than the Blues (18).

Chelsea accumulated 59.87 xG, the most in the league, over four more than next-best Arsenal (55.48).

In fact, Chelsea had the best shot-conversion rate in the WSL last season, despite losing leading scorer and 2023 player of the year Sam Kerr to an ACL injury at their winter training camp in January. 

Before her injury last season, Kerr was averaging 0.61 goals per 90 minutes, from 3.66 shots per 90, with a 16.67% conversion rate.

But Kerr's goals per 90 was actually at its lowest since the 2019-20 season, while her xG per 90 (0.46) was at its lowest during her time at Chelsea altogether.

Getting Kerr fit and firing will be Bombastor's task – the Australian is still a world-class operator on her day, as she showed by hitting double figures in each of the three seasons prior to last season. Kerr has committed her future to the club, signing a new contract till 2026. 

Chelsea had 429 shots in the WSL, the second-highest total after Arsenal (436). They averaged 0.13 xG per shot, a higher total than any team in the division. Lauren James was the joint second-highest scorer in the WSL last season, with 13 goals. The England international greatly outperformed her 6.1 xG, showing high-level finishing and demonstrating clear improvement in that area of her game. 

Mayra Ramirez had a fine Olympics with Colombia, and starred in Chelsea's huge win over Manchester United on the final day of last season. She scored three goals in seven WSL games last term following her record-breaking switch from Spain.

The impact Ramirez could be huge in her first full season with the club. Her speed, strength and deadly finishing could prove too much for defences across the WSL. 

Bompastor has also added more quality to the attack by bringing in Sandy Baltimore on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain. The France international is another proven winner, is a creative force and loves to drive at defences. She made 21 successful dribbles and had 24 touches in the opposition box in the Champions League last season. 

Defensively, the Blues were solid last term, with their 18 goals conceded coming from an expected goal against of 20.36, though they faced more shots than both Man City (184) and Arsenal (176). Millie Bright was missing for most of the season, however, and she really could be like a new signing this term.

Bompastor has looked to the market to help Chelsea reach that next level. Lucy Bronze, who has won every domestic trophy there is to win in France, Spain and in England, has joined after leaving Barcelona. Bronze has won the Champions League five times, lifting the trophy in spells with both Lyon and Barca.

Bronze created 28 chances for Barcelona last season from full-back – the second-most of any defender for the European champions, after Ona Batlle. Bronze supplied four assists and her experience in both attack and defence could be one of the missing links for European success.

The best of the rest

But what constitutes success for the new manager? And how big is the expectation from the club and fans alike to see their recent glory days replicated? With Man City and Arsenal both adding significant summer signings to their squads, this may be the hardest and fiercest title race we have ever seen in the WSL. 

City ran the Blues so close, with Hayes' team winning it on goal difference on the final day. Taylor has not left anything to chance, with City signing the all-time leading goalscorer in the WSL Vivianne Miedema, who left Arsenal in the summer. 

It is not just goals Miedema brings - she is also a creative force, having laid on 35 assists in the WSL, which ranks behind only Beth Mead (45) and Katie McCabe (36).

With Golden Boot winner Khadija Shaw, as well as Lauren Hemp, Chloe Kelly and Mary Fowler in their ranks, there seems to be little danger of City losing a title on goal difference again with such a stacked attacking line.

Arsenal stayed in the race for as long as they could but their attack ultimately let them down. While they have let arguably one of the best players of all time leave their ranks, they have brought in some big names themselves in the hope they can challenge their London rivals once more. 

Quality signings have come in at both ends of the pitch. Mariona Caldentey (signed from Barcelona), Daphne van Domselaar (signed from Aston Villa) and Rosa Kafaji (signed from BK Hacken), who is a youngster regularly tipped as the next big superstar of the women's game, have all arrived.

But only time will tell if one of these sides can beat Bompastor's side to glory and success.

We could be about to witness the new era of a new champion, especially if she can clinch that elusive Champions League title that Chelsea have so longed for.