Matildas Abroad Preview: Thorns look to secure playoff place; Aussies meet in Serie A

The Portland Thorns are one win away from securing a playoff place in the NWSL in the penultimate round of the regular season.

Elsewhere, CommBank Matildas face off in Serie A, and the league cup takes centre stage in England.

Read our preview of the action below.

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England

The WSL takes a break this weekend as teams either competed in the UWCL midweek, or will take part in upcoming league cup games.

Everton take on Nottingham Forest on Monday, 12am AEDT. They are hoping for their first win of the league cup after defeat to Manchester City in game one. Clare Wheeler will be available for Everton.

Leicester City take on London City Lionesses in an all-WSL affair on Monday, 12am AEDT. Both teams defeated lower league opposition in game one and will hope to continue that form into the second game. Emily van Egmond will be available for Leicester while Alanna Kennedy will be available for the Lionesses.

Tottenham Hotspur host Birmingham City on Monday, 12am AEDT. After a penalty shootout victory in game one, Spurs will hope to go one better against Championship opposition. Clare Hunt and Charli Grant will be available for Spurs.

Sweden

AIK Fotboll travel to take on Linköping on Saturday, 4am AEDT. AIK are comfortably midtable while Linköping need a win to escape the relegation zone. Jada Whyman will be unavailable for AIK due to injury.

Malmö FF take on Djurgården on Saturday, 10pm AEDT. Malmö are four point away from the top of the table with four games remaining, and will likely need to win all four to be a chance of walking away with the title. Courtney Nevin will be available for Malmö.

Kristianstads DFF will play Piteå on Sunday, 11pm AEDT. Kristianstads are all but eliminated from the top three race and European football next season, but will be hoping to finish their season on a high. Amy Sayer and Remy Siemsen have been consistent starters and are available for Kristianstads.

Finally, Vittsjö GIK host second-place Hammarby on Monday, 1am AEDT. Comfortably mid-table Vittsjö are hoping to finish their season on a high while Hammarby need three points to remain in the title race. Daniela Galic will be available for Vittsjö.

United States

North Carolina Courage travel to take on Bay FC on Saturday, 1pm AEDT. With two games remaining and four points out of playoff contention, the Courage will likely need six points from six to be involved in the postseason. Cortnee Vine will be available for North Carolina.

The Portland Thorns are involved in the final game of the round, taking on Angel City FC on Monday, 8am AEDT. Three points for the Thorns will guarantee a playoff spot – even if the Courage win – and will also keep them in contention for the top four. Mackenzie Arnold and Kaitlyn Torpey will both be available for the Thorns.

You can catch selected NWSL games on Stan Sport, while the remainder can be viewed at NWSL+.

Germany

Eintracht Frankfurt will take on Werder Bremen on Sunday, 11pm AEDT. It is a tight turnaround after securing their Round of 16 place in the Europa Cup midweek, but they will be hoping that a win in the league can help lift them up the table in these early stages.

TSG Hoffenheim will travel to take on SGS Essen on Saturday, 3.30am AEDT. Hoffenheim will be heavy favourites against bottom-of-the-table Essen but will need to make sure of the three points if they are a chance of finishing the round in the top three. Jamilla Rankin will be available for Hoffenheim.

France

Lyon take on Nantes in the league on Sunday, 6am AEDT. The defending champions are a perfect four wins from four to start the season and are favourites to maintain that perfect record. Teagan Micah will be available for Lyon after making her competitive debut for the team in the UWCL midweek.

Italy

Aussies will meet in Italy when Sassuolo host Como on Saturday, 9.30pm AEDT. Jess Nash and Jacynta Galabadaarachchi’s Sassuolo currently sit in eighth, on one point, while Alex Chidiac’s Como picked up a valuble three points against Juventus last week. All three will be available for the clash this weekend.

AS Roma will back up their effort against Barcelona when they take on Napoli on Sunday, 9.30pm AEDT. Winonah Heatley will be available as they hope to maintain their place on the top of the league table.

Canada

Kahli Johnson netted a goal for the first time since her extended injury layoff in Calgary Wild’s 2-1 victory over Vancouver Rise. She also won the penalty for her team’s first goal in a complete performance.