The Ladies’s Tremendous League returns with a bang this weekend, with upheaval on the prime of the desk providing the promise of one other thrilling marketing campaign.

Chelsea gave Emma Hayes a triumphant send-off by edging out Manchester Metropolis on aim distinction for his or her fifth straight title, however will former Lyon coach Sonia Bompastor be capable of replicate her success?

Aston Villa are the opponents for her first recreation on the helm on Friday, whereas Sunday’s motion options an enormous conflict between potential title challengers Arsenal and Metropolis.

Elsewhere, Manchester United begin their bid to enhance on final season’s disappointing fifth-placed end towards West Ham, whereas newly promoted Crystal Palace face a tricky journey to Tottenham.

However who does the Opta supercomputer anticipate to start out 2024-25 with three factors?

CHELSEA V ASTON VILLA

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

They gained 85.1% of the supercomputer’s pre-match simulations, with Villa given only a 5.5% probability of victory and the draw deemed a 9.5% chance.

Kingsmeadow was an actual fortress beneath Hayes, and Bompastor will likely be determined to retain the worry think about her debut season. Chelsea have gained 35 of their final 37 residence league video games, drawing one and shedding one.

The Blues have, nevertheless, solely gained two of their six opening matches of a WSL marketing campaign because the reigning champions, drawing two and shedding two. A kind of victories did come final time period, although, as they beat Tottenham 2-1 at Stamford Bridge.

MANCHESTER UNITED V WEST HAM

Previous Trafford performs host to the primary of two video games on Saturday, as Marc Skinner’s United tackle West Ham, seeking to kick on after ending a largely disappointing 2023-24 marketing campaign with FA Cup glory.

They’re assigned a 71.5% probability of a win, with West Ham victorious in 12.6% of our pre-match simulations and 15.9% ending all sq..

This may, in fact, be United’s first league recreation since Mary Earps departed for Paris Saint-Germain. The Purple Devils suffered their heaviest-ever WSL defeat in her closing recreation, taking place 6-0 to Chelsea on residence soil on the ultimate day of final season.

Phallon Tullis-Joyce will hope for a quiet outing after stepping as much as substitute Earps as primary, and she or he might get her want towards a West Ham aspect that collected a depressing 15 factors final time period. Their seven away losses in 2023-24 was a joint-high amongst all WSL groups (additionally Bristol Metropolis).

BRIGHTON V EVERTON

Only one place and 4 factors separated Everton from Brighton within the closing standings, and the supercomputer struggles to separate them forward of their conflict at Broadfield.

The Toffees are slight favourites with a 40.6% win likelihood, in comparison with Brighton’s 33.7%, whereas 25.7% of the supercomputer’s pre-match simulations completed stage.

Everton will hope to proceed their momentum from the tip of 2023-24, having ended the season on a four-game unbeaten streak (two wins, two attracts), their longest of the marketing campaign. They might go 5 with out shedding for the primary time since October 2020.

Brighton’s main arrival forward of the brand new season is Chelsea nice Fran Kirby, who has 5 aim involvements in eight WSL appearances towards Everton, scoring on each of her begins versus them.

ARSENAL V MANCHESTER CITY

The headline fixture of the opening matchday takes place on the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, as two of the edges most definitely to problem Chelsea for his or her crown – Arsenal and Metropolis – go head-to-head.

The supercomputer makes the Gunners favourites on residence soil, with Jonas Eidevall’s workforce successful 42.6% of our pre-match simulations. Metropolis are assigned a 30.7% probability of victory, and a 26.7% probability of incomes a degree.

Vivianne Miedema’s transfer from Arsenal to Metropolis has added additional intrigue to this fixture. She netted 80 occasions in 106 league appearances for Arsenal to turn into the WSL’s all-time main scorer, netting towards all 15 opponents she has confronted within the competitors. Arsenal would be the sixteenth completely different workforce she has confronted – will she return to hang-out them?

Metropolis have gained every of their final eight away league video games, with the one longer such run in WSL historical past additionally being by Metropolis – a 12-match sequence between July 2016 and January 2018.

Arsenal, although, have gained every of their final three WSL conferences with Metropolis, and so they boast probably the most prolific participant within the historical past of the opening matchday within the competitors, with Beth Mead beforehand hitting seven objectives on the primary weekend, together with two braces.

TOTTENHAM V CRYSTAL PALACE

Crystal Palace edged out Charlton Athletic to win the Ladies’s Championship title final season, reaching the WSL for the primary time. They would be the nineteenth completely different workforce to compete within the division and the primary debutants since Leicester Metropolis in 2021.

Excluding the inaugural 2011 marketing campaign, solely one among 10 groups has ever gained their first WSL match, Sunderland beating Liverpool 2-1 in 2015 (one draw, eight defeats).

The Eagles should not given a lot hope of replicating that feat by the Supercomputer, which assigns them simply an 11.5% probability of victory to Tottenham’s 72.7%. The draw is given a 15.8% chance.

Tottenham have an honest report on the opening day, too, solely beginning one among their final 4 WSL campaigns with a defeat (two wins, one draw), which got here towards champions Chelsea final season.

LIVERPOOL V LEICESTER CITY

Matt Beard is the one coach among the many 12 WSL groups to have beforehand gained the title, and his Liverpool aspect ended a promising 2023-24 marketing campaign in fourth. They are going to be assured of getting underway with a win this time period, with the supercomputer giving them a 60.2% probability of beating Leicester.

The Foxes, who would have been in relegation hassle if not for Bristol Metropolis’s struggles final time period, are given an 18.9% probability of victory, and a 20.9% chance of incomes a draw.

Liverpool and Leicester additionally met on the ultimate day of final time period, the Reds successful 4-0. Seven groups have beforehand met on the ultimate matchday of 1 WSL marketing campaign and the opening weekend of the following, however solely three have gained each such conferences (Man Metropolis v Notts County, Tottenham v Birmingham, and Tottenham v Leicester).

Solely Arsenal (9) and Chelsea (seven) have gained their opening recreation of a WSL season extra typically than Liverpool (six), who’ve began 4 campaigns with a victory beneath Beard (one defeat).