Manchester United v West Ham United women's team
Barclays Women's Super League, Old Trafford, Saturday 21 September 2024, 12pm BST
West Ham United women’s team begin the 2024/25 Barclays Women’s Super League campaign on Saturday lunchtime.
Rehanne Skinner’s team are hoping to improve on last seasons eleventh place finish in the standings, and with seven new players arriving in east London, there could be plenty of new faces in action for the very first time.
Both sides have gone through a large amount of change through the summer months, with Manchester United losing key players in former captain Katie Zelem and Lionesses goalkeeper Mary Earps. Marc Skinner’s side have made several additions too and will also aiming for better than the fifth place they finished in last season.
Here’s almost everything you need to know ahead of the women’s team’s curtain raiser...
Tickets
You can watch Rehanne Skinner’s side on the road as they head to the Theatre of Dreams on Saturday! Tickets are still available to purchase from the hosts’ official website, priced at £15 for Adults, £7.50 for Over-65s and £7.50 for Under-16s.
Grab your tickets now by clicking here!
How to follow
The WSL will be more accessible to supporters from across the globe than ever before, with coverage of the league moving from The FA Player to YouTube!
Matches not picked for broadcast will be shown live on the online video sharing platform, and the Hammers’ clash with United will be the inaugural match shown.
Tune in from 11.55am to watch all the action unfold at Old Trafford!
Alternatively, you can also follow the action across our social media channels, while highlights and exclusive reactions will follow after the final whistle on whufc.com.
Opposition
Manchester United enjoyed a rather mixed season in 2023/24, the club's fifth season in the Women’s Super League.
The Red Devils finished the WSL campaign in fifth, outside of the UEFA Women's Champions League places and behind rivals Liverpool in the standings. After coming under pressure towards the end of the campaign, manager Marc Skinner then delivered the team’s first-ever major trophy, beating Tottenham Hotspur 4-0 in the FA Cup final at Wembley in May in front of over 76,000 people.
United come into the new campaign as a relative unknown. Having lost the aforementioned Earps and Zelem, as well as Lucía García, when their contracts expired at the end of June, Skinner also saw Irene Guerrero, Gemma Evans and Nikita Parris depart for pastures new.
That meant new recruits were needed, and United added Elisabeth Terland and Celin Bizet from Brighton & Hove Albion and Tottenham Hotspur respectively, whilst also looking abroad to bring in Dutch defender Dominique Janssen, young Sweden full-back Anna Sandberg and Canadian rising star Simi Awujo. Forward Melvine Malard also made her loan move permanent after spending last season in the North West.
With the outlined recruits and the benefits that not having a hectic European schedule can sometimes bring, United will be aiming to use that to their advantage in their quest to get back into the European mix this season.
Previous meetings
The two sides have met nine times in the WSL, with the first meeting taking place back in January 2019. The Irons came out on top in that match, with Katharina Baunach scoring twice late on to seal victory at Rush Green Stadium.
In total, United have come out on top on six occasions, and there have also been two draws. The most recent match between the two teams, Viviane Asseyi scored an 85th minute equaliser as the two sides drew 1-1 at Chigwell Construction Stadium back in March. The France international delightfully dinked the ball over Mary Earps from distance after Rachel Williams had given the away side an early lead.
