The weekend of November 15 and 16 has three derbies lined up. What can we look forward to?
Let's start with Spain. In Liga F, Barcelona will face Real Madrid at home. Unsurprisingly, Barcelona leads the table and is four points ahead of its main rivals.
However, it would be foolish to think that the Culers have the game in the bag. Although Barcelona is a giant in Spanish women's soccer, it is not invincible. It has already lost to Real Sociedad this season. Last season, it lost the legendary El Clasico, and Real will want to repeat that success. In addition, Blaugarna is still missing key player Patri Guijarro.
Will Manchester be blue or red? We’ll find out after today’s derby. The clash is made even spicier by the swap the clubs made at the start of the season. Grace Clinton moved from United to City, while Jess Park went the opposite way. Both players will now face their former club, where they developed as footballers.
City’s confidence is boosted by the fact that they now sit above Chelsea at the top of the table and will want to protect their lead. United may still be hurting from last week’s unexpected defeat to Aston Villa, but they lifted their spirits in the Champions League, where they remain unbeaten despite it being their debut season in the competition.
Arsenal have had a difficult week. First came the draw in the London derby against Chelsea, which left a bitter aftertaste after Stina Blackstenius’s disallowed goal (the officials ruled it a handball, though the footage doesn’t really support that). Then came the defeat in Munich, where they unexpectedly let a 2–0 lead slip and lost 3–2. They will now look to lift their spirits in the North London derby.
Even though Tottenham have managed to beat Arsenal only once in the past, the Gooners should still be on alert. Spurs have been strengthened this season by Norwegian standout Cathinka Tandberg, who will look to cause problems for Arsenal’s weakened defence (Leah Williamson and Katie Reid are both out with knee injuries). Despite Spurs having the home advantage, Arsenal remain the favourite. In the last North London derby at the Emirates, the Gooners won convincingly 5–0, and the match set a new attendance record.
