Liverpool Women hope to go into the international break with a flourish as they travel to face Manchester United in Leigh in the Women’s Super League.
The Red Devils have struggled for form under new manager Eva Olid, resulting in a, thus far, stuttering season. They did, however, win their last league fixture against West Ham 2-1 thanks to goals either side of half-time from Elisabeth Terland and Andrea Medina.
Meanwhile, the Reds form has been the antithesis of that. Taylor’s style of relentless pressing out of possession and free flowing attacking play has caught the eye of many and has resulted in his side placing fifth in the WSL standings.
Their record against Manchester United is notoriously poor. Out of 11 matches, the Reds have only won three of them, with the last win coming when Olivia Smith was still on Merseyside.
Taylor and co. will be looking to overcome the statistics come Saturday.
Manchester United vs Liverpool match information
• Date: Saturday 3rd October 2026
• Kick-off times: 1:30pm (BST) and 8:30am (ET)
• Competition: Women’s Super League Matchday 5
• Venue: Progress with Unity Stadium - Leigh
How can I watch Liverpool vs Everton?
The match is live on Paramount+ in the United States. In the UK and Ireland, viewers can watch this match on BBC One. You can stream it online via BBC iPlayer or the BBC Sport website and app.
Other broadcasters around the world include Optus Sport in Australia, or if you are in a region without a local broadcast deal, the match is available to stream for free on the Official Barclays WSL YouTube Channel.
Recent Form
Manchester United (Home Side): There were always going to be question marks around Manchester United after the departure of Marc Skinner. For years, it felt like he was the glue holding the club together. Now he’s gone, the torch has been passed to Eva Olid, and thus far she and the team have struggled – particularly in the league.
The Devils sit 9th in the WSL table with just one win from their opening four fixtures. An opening day defeat to London City Lionesses, preceded a 5-0 demolition from Chelsea, before a late Smilla Holmberg equaliser meant they shared their first point with Arsenal.
Ella Toone’s unusually inconsistent form epitomised Manchester United’s fortunes, with the midfielders left out of Sarina Wiegman’s England squad for the upcoming international break.
They have, however, seen an upturn in form in recent weeks winning their last three games on the bounce. That sole league victory came in a 2-1 result at home to fellow lower-table dwellers West Ham, while the result is sandwiched between two comfortable league cup victories. They were both against WSL 2 opposition, but nevertheless, they scored an eye-watering 15 goals across the two matches, winning 10-1 over Sheffield United and 5-1 over Durham.
Liverpool (Away Side): The Reds under Gareth Taylor this season continue to prove doubters wrong. After last season’s disappointment, the club have turned around their form, currently lying fifth in WSL table with two wins, one draw and a single loss.
Banishing the Anfield Merseyside derby hoodoo with a convincing 2-0 win last time out in the league, was a real reflection of the vast improvement from last season’s campaign.
There was a minor scare in midweek, though, as Natalia Ramos’ injury time winner proved the difference in a 4-3 League Cup victory over Birmingham City.
Nevertheless, a win is a win. Marie Therese Hobinger continues to impress when give the opportunity to start. In the two league cup matches she has started, she’s bagged a brace in each. Plus, with Ceri Holland she remains in competition with Kirsty MacLean for a spot in the starting XI this weekend.
The Reds lost both their encounters with Manchester United last season, so will be eagerly awaiting their revenge as the roles have very much reversed from back then.
Team News
Manchester United team news: In terms of absences, Jayde Riviere, and Emma Watson are all ruled out through injury, according to Olid.
Though, on the flip side, youngster Layla Drury is now back available for selection having returned from international duty representing Wales at the U20 World Cup. She made her first appearance since returning off the bench against Durham Women in midweek.
Fridolina Rolfo is away from the squad after announcing her pregnancy. Meanwhile Celin Bizet Donnum is on maternity leave after giving birth in June.
Liverpool team news: There are a number of question marks over Liverpool players. Due to the fixture congestion in recent weeks, Taylor has had to use his full squad to prevent fatigue and injury.
However, Aurélie Csillag has been ruled out for an extended period. The Swiss international was forced off on a stretcher before half-time against Birmingham; scans have since confirmed a ruptured Achilles tendon.
What’s more, Lucy Parry, Sophie Roman Haug and Mari Ward have all been ruled out for Saturday’s clash with the trio still nursing various injuries which have seen them yet to feature this season.
There is some good news. New signing Mao Itamura has recovered from an abdominal injury and is now in contention to make her debut for her new team since moving from Feyenoord this summer.
Predicted Line-ups
• Manchester United predicted lineup: Tullis-Joyce; Lundkvist; Le Tisser; Janssen; Sandberg; Zigiotti Olme; Miyazawa; Park; Toone; Medina; Terland.
• Liverpool predicted lineup: Keating; Kerr; Fisk; Shaw; Bernabé; Nagano; Hobinger; Endemann; Ramos; Kapocs; Olsson.
What the managers have said:
Eva Olid (Manchester United): “I trust these young players and the other players who started to put in a good performance. They are attacking players who I know can offer a lot, and I was confident that we would perform well."
Gareth Taylor (Liverpool): “So hard tonight because we're just trying to manage the players' load. Obviously losing Aurélie [Csillag] is not great for us because that limits us a little bit. We just have to dust ourselves down, recover properly tomorrow and get ready for our final game before the international break.”
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