MATCH INFO:

Manchester United vs Manchester City

Leigh Sports Village, Leigh, Greater Manchester, United Kingdom

Kickoff: November 14th, 2020, at 7:30 a.m. EST

WHERE TO WATCH: NBCSN

Week 7 of the FAWSL is upon us, and it is shaping up to be a cracking weekend with four of the top five set to face off. The start of the action on Saturday will see league leaders Manchester United host fifth-place Manchester City. Both teams are coming off of statement-making wins, with United claiming victory over previous league-leaders Arsenal, and City thrashing Bristol City 8-1. If the historic rivalry of the Manchester Derby is not enough to entice viewers to watch the match, the great form of both teams should draw any casual football fan.

The #BarclaysFAWSL table after gameweek 6️⃣ ????@ManUtdWomen ???????? pic.twitter.com/GoY45UX3MG

— Barclays FA Women's Super League (@BarclaysFAWSL) November 8, 2020

Manchester United went into the match against Arsenal last weekend in third place, below both their North London opponents, who were in first at the time, and Everton in second. Chelsea had done United a favour earlier in the day by beating Everton 4-0, and United capitalized with Ella Toone scoring the only goal late on in their win against Arsenal.

When you score the winner for your local club ????

Good morning, @ellatoone99 & @ManUtdWomen fans!#BarclaysFAWSLpic.twitter.com/AhDUA2tiok

— Barclays FA Women's Super League (@BarclaysFAWSL) November 9, 2020

The day before, Manchester City hosted Bristol City and dominated them for the full 90 minutes. Bristol City went into the match as massive underdogs, with five of their first-team players unavailable due to one of them developing COVID-19 symptoms the night before, and four other players having to isolate due to living in shared housing with the player in question. Manchester City would have felt aggravated to have briefly allowed Bristol City back into the match, with the score being 1-1 up until the 39th minute, but a three goal blitz in the back end of the first half, as well as four more goals in the second half, led to an easy win for Manchester City.

Record breaking! ????

???? 8-1 ???? #ManCity | https://t.co/HkTzfLv0HJ pic.twitter.com/QnEVET6Yvx

— Man City Women (@ManCityWomen) November 7, 2020

Manchester United have improved as the season has gone on, and they’ve learned the ability to see out matches. They have not scored the most goals this season (Arsenal has 29, compared to United’s 15), nor have they conceded the least amount of goals (Chelsea have conceded only two goals this season, compared to United’s five), but what sets them apart is their balance of attacking and defensive tactics, a balance that was fully on display against Arsenal.

How would you rate @ManUtdWomen's season so far? ❤️#BarclaysFAWSL pic.twitter.com/d5wZITY7F9

— Barclays FA Women's Super League (@BarclaysFAWSL) November 10, 2020

Unlike Arsenal, United were quite patient while attacking. They did not rush any of their possessions, despite it still being 0-0 well into the second half. This can be showcased by where both teams took their shots. United, who attempted 23 shots, waited until Arsenal’s defense started showing holes. Out of those 23 shots, five were on target, and 13 were taken inside the penalty box. Arsenal, on the hand, were quite erratic and impatient when shooting. Out of their nine shots, only three were in the penalty box.

Arsenal would often rush their play, taking low quality shots from small chances, which Manchester United would then capitalize on. This composure from United led to their lone goal, and they were able to remain tight defensively for the rest of the match.

While United are a team that are tactically patient, Manchester City are erratic, but in the best way. As mentioned before, Bristol City were massive underdogs going into last weekend’s fixture, but not many teams would have been able to score eight past them. City likes to blitz teams using their speed to overload all areas of the pitch. They successfully suffocate teams in their own half, and take chance after chance until they score. It is not a coincidence that Manchester City have had multiple high-scoring games this season —their style is boom or bust.

FULL-TIME | 4️⃣ goals and 3️⃣ points in the bag!

Job done: ✅

???? 4-1 ???? #ManCity pic.twitter.com/K4EO70kmjW

— Man City Women (@ManCityWomen) October 4, 2020

This aggressiveness can also be their downfall. City’s 3-1 loss against Chelsea earlier in the season showcased the limits of their high-risk, high-reward style of play. Manchester City’s high press created defensive gaps which Chelsea was happy to exploit. Manchester United will look to do the same.

Just how good was @frankirby yesterday?! ????@ChelseaFCW ???? @ManCityWomen

???? Highlights & Full Match on the FA Player now! ????

— Barclays FA Women's Super League (@BarclaysFAWSL) October 12, 2020

The upcoming derby will also see two USWNT duos go head to head with United’s Tobin Heath and Christen Press facing off against City’s Rose Lavelle and Sam Mewis. Both duos came to the WSL with a lot of pressure, with all eyes watching to see if their talent could translate into a brand new league for them.

From the USA to United ????????✈️❤️@TobinHeath & @ChristenPress showed their class for @ManUtdWomen!#BarclaysFAWSL pic.twitter.com/RSrbfQ08hJ

— Barclays FA Women's Super League (@BarclaysFAWSL) November 8, 2020

They haven’t disappointed thus far, with both duos certainly making their marks on their respective teams. Now, we’ll get to see which American pair can claim FAWSL supremacy.

WHAT’S NEXT IN THE FA WSL:

 

November 14th 

Manchester United vs. Manchester City @ 7:30 a.m. EST

Aston Villa vs. Birmingham City @ 9:30 a.m. EST

Everton vs. Reading FC @ 11:30 a.m. EST

Bristol City vs. Tottenham @ 1:30 p.m. EST

November 15th

West Ham vs. Brighton & Hove Albion @ 7:30 a.m. EST

Arsenal vs. Chelsea @ 9:30 a.m. EST

More NWSL stars are jumping ship, as both the San Diego Wave and North Carolina Courage saw respective key players Delphine Cascarino and Denise O'Sullivan sign with WSL clubs over the last few days.

Former Wave forward Cascarino inked a deal through the 2029/30 season with the London City Lionesses on Monday, one day after San Diego announced they had mutually parted ways with the French international despite her contract running through 2026 with an option for the 2027 NWSL season.

"I'm really happy to be here," said the 28-year-old in a statement. "London City is the only independent women's club in the WSL, which excites me."

North Carolina midfielder and captain O'Sullivan made a similar move on Saturday, as the Ireland international signed with Liverpool following more than eight seasons and a club-record 186 appearances for the Courage.

The last-place WSL team reportedly shelled out a club-record transfer fee of approximately £300,000 to roster the 31-year-old two-time NWSL champion and three-time Shield-winner, who called Liverpool "a new challenge" that will see her "only a 40-minute flight away" from her family in Cork, Ireland.

Though the NWSL departures of Cascarino and O'Sullivan mark a kind of homecoming for the European standouts, they are just the latest to exit the US league, after USWNT star Sam Coffey joined WSL-leaders Manchester City last week.

"England — for men and women — is the country of football," noted Cascarino. "It's always been a goal of mine to play in this league."

New York Sirens forward Taylor Girard made PWHL history this week, earning a record four-game suspension for leaving the bench to join a line skirmish at the end of Sunday's 2-1 win over the Montréal Victoire.

The brawl occurred at the the final buzzer of the PWHL's record-breaking Takeover Tour stop in Washington, DC, with eight players — four Sirens and four from the Victoire — subsequently issued 10-minute misconducts in addition to Girard's infraction.

As the sole player not originally on the ice to join the skirmish, Girard was the only player to receive an additional 20-minute charge.

Even more, Girard's actions immediately triggered a four-game suspension, as the PWHL Rulebook dictates that exact punishment for "the first player to leave the players' bench illegally during an altercation or for the purpose of starting an altercation from either or both Teams."

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The four-game ban marks the longest punishment in PWHL history, doubling the two-game suspension that Seattle Torrent defender Aneta Tejralová received for an illegal check to the head last month.

With the PWHL on break after January 28th as 30% of the league's rosters compete in the 2026 Winter Olympics, the four-game suspension means that Girard — who sits second on New York's scoring sheet with five goals on the season — will not be available for the No. 2 Sirens until March 5th.

The WTGL is stocking up on golf stars, as TMRW Sports' newly announced offseason league begins to build its debut roster in partnership with the LPGA.

World No. 1 golfer Jeeno Thitikul (Thailand) signed on to participate in WTGL's inaugural season this week, alongside No. 5 Charley Hull (England), No. 6 Lydia Ko (New Zealand), No. 25 Brooke Henderson (Canada), and No. 79 Lexi Thompson (USA).

"WTGL will be a global stage to showcase LPGA stars, and this first wave of committed players represents that opportunity with some of the world's best," said TMRW Sports founder and CEO Mike McCarley in Monday's press release.

Set to launch next winter, the WTGL looks to build off the popular, second-year men's Tomorrow's Golf League (TGL), with the competition integrating both a physical and virtual golf environment inside Palm Beach Gardens at Florida's SoFi Center.

"These players will thrive in WTGL's competitive environment as fans will witness their skill and connect more deeply with their personalities through the unprecedented access the league delivers," said McCarley, noting that TGL golfers remain mic'd up throughout the team event.

The WTGL is also earning stamps of approval from several women's sports greats, as the Alex Morgan co-founded Trybe Ventures — an investment group that includes Morgan's fellow former USWNT stars Mia Hamm and Abby Wambach — became the new league's lead capital partner last week.

The WSL is cashing in on the women's game, with two UK clubs surpassing €25 million in annual revenue for the first time, according to the Deloitte Football Money League report on the 2024/25 season that dropped this week.

Reigning UWCL champions Arsenal topped the list for the first time after taking in €25.6 million last season, followed closely by WSL title-holders Chelsea FC's €25.4 million.

Meanwhile, Perennial European contender FC Barcelona (€22 million) dropped to third after leading the group in 2023/24, outpacing WSL titans No. 4 Manchester City (€12.9 million) and No. 5 Manchester United (€12.8 million).

Due to a lack of revenue data, the yearly study did not include major women's leagues in the US, Sweden, or Australia, giving the rankings a European bent as the total sum crossed the €150 million mark for the first time — a 35% increase over the previous season's Top-15 Money League clubs.

Commercial income was the biggest revenue driver for many top clubs, with sponsorship deals and brand partnerships leading the charge.

Arsenal also benefitted from increased revenue on the men's side, allowing the women's team to up its investment while avoiding running at a loss.

How to watch the top Deloitte Football Money League clubs in action

Deloitte Football Money League leader Arsenal will take on No. 5 Man United while revenue runners-up Chelsea will face the WSL-leading Man City in the 2025/26 Women's League Cup semifinals on Wednesday.

The concurrent clashes will kick off at 2 PM ET, streaming live on YouTube.